Before the Dawn
by WENN9366
Summary: Cliche' Challenge/Christmas Challenge - In this parody of "It's a Wonderful Life", Daisy is shown how the lives of those around her - and even Hazzard itself, would have been different if she'd never been born. *COMPLETE* (Edited number of chapters 12/24/2013) Enos/OC, Daisy/Enos
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This story is for the "Cliche' Challenge" and the "Christmas Challenge". There has since been an "Enos Drunk Challenge" and this fits that as well, although in an Alternate Reality.

What else could be more cliche'd than a parody of the timeless classic "_It's a Wonderful Life_"? In this case, Daisy gets to see how the lives of those around her - and even Hazzard itself, would be different if she'd never been born. This story takes place the Christmas after "Enos and Daisy's Wedding".

This story can be read as a stand-alone, but it is based on the prequel, "The Story of Us". No need to read that fanfic, though.

* * *

><p><em>"Looking through my window,<em>  
><em> I seem to recognize<em>  
><em> all the people passing by,<em>  
><em> but I am alone,<em>  
><em> and far from home<em>  
><em> and nobody knows me..."<em>  
><em>-Opeth<em>

* * *

><p>Daisy gazed out the window of the Boars' Nest as the last two patrons shuffled to their truck. The snow was falling faster, blanketing the parking lot and whiting out the road beyond it. The truck pulled away in a cloud of exhaust, leaving only Dixie and Hazzard #2 in the lot. The cold of the window made her shiver and she rubbed the goose-pimped flesh on her arms.<p>

It had been a busy Christmas Eve, though she often wondered why anyone would rather be at a bar than home with their families. But, she supposed everyone had their own priorities. Right now, hers was shutting down before the roads became too slick to get back to the farm.

She sensed rather than saw Enos come and stand beside her.

"You sure you don't want me t' drive ya' home, Daisy? It wouldn't be no trouble."

She turned and gave him a smile. "No, I'll be fine. You go on an' get outta here before it gets worse."

Enos frowned, betraying his worry, and glanced uncertainly around the empty bar before picking his hat up from the counter. At the door, he hesitated and turned back towards her. "You'll call me if you need anything, won't you?"

"I will, I promise. You're comin' for dinner tomorrow, right?" Since his pa' had died in '67, Enos had only missed one Christmas with them.

"I wouldn't miss it," he replied, flashing her a bright smile. "Alright then, I guess I'll head on home. I'll see ya' t'morrow."

"Night, Enos."

There was nothing further as he left, and anyone who didn't know the two of them would never guess they'd almost been married earlier that year. Enos had not mentioned the incident, and Daisy hadn't pressed the issue. Eventually, their relationship had slipped quietly back into the holding pattern that neither seemed keen on changing.

Daisy had begun to wonder if maybe he'd finally come to his senses. What man in his right mind would want to marry a girl who had never said she loved him? Not that she..._didn't_... exactly. There had always been something special between them as long as she could remember, but he'd become shy and reserved as the years passed by - far removed from the boy who had been her constant companion in childhood.

It wasn't the first time she'd felt guilty about stringing him along. Enos seemed blissfully unaware that he was one of the most eligible bachelors in Hazzard County, and sometimes she wondered if it weren't for her if he'd be home with a wife and family. Instead, he waited patiently for a love she didn't know if she could ever give him.

Perhaps he would have been better off if they'd never met each other in the first place.

* * *

><p>In the office, Boss counted down the money for the day from the Boars' Nest while Rosco looked gleefully over his shoulder.<p>

"How much did ya' rake in t'day, Boss? Sure looks like a lot...say, I sure could use my fifty percent right about now."

Boss' chubby fingers flew through the bills without ceasing as he cast a doubtful look at the Sheriff. "Your fifty percent of fifty percent of my fifty percent, you mean."

"Well, Boss, you know, bein' that t'day _is_ Christmas Eve an' all, I figured that I might be able t' have just a tiny smidgen more than that..." He grabbed innocently at a twenty dollar bill that was just about to fall off the table, but Boss' hand smacked his out of the way before he could so much as touch it. "Mama's been wantin' a new record player."

"Oh, I've got better plans for this Christmas."

"Better plans? You ain't goin' t' cut th' orphans funds again this year?"

"Huh?" He shook his head. "No, no, no, Rosco. I've got something better than that by far. What would you say to _repossessin_' th' Dukes' farm this Christmas...once and for all?"

Rosco smiled rapturously, but it was quickly replaced by confusion. "Uh, Boss...how in th' blue blazes are ya' gonna do _that_? Jesse ain't got a payment due till this comin' week."

"Yeah, but I know for a fact that he ain't gonna be able t' make that payment."

"Uh...if you don't mind me askin', Boss...how do ya' know somethin' like that? It's been a busy week. Daisy'll have more than enough t' cover th' mortgage, specially with the dipstick givin' her half his paycheck in tips," he added, rolling his eyes.

Boss pointed to the register till. "You see all that cash there?"

"In there?" Rosco looked longingly at it. "I sure do."

"No, you don't," he snapped.

"I don't?"

"Nope. You don't...'cause that dang Daisy Duke just stole five hundred dollars of it!" He counted out five hundred dollars and shoved it in his pocket.

"Ooo! That's brillant, Boss!" Rosco's happiness faded slightly. "Uh...but Boss...on Christmas Eve?" He'd never been a fan of any Duke, but...well...it was _Daisy_. What little conscience he had that hadn't been scrubbed away from working with J.D. Hogg was reminding him that it was still there.

Boss peered up at him through narrow eyes. "You want me t' tell Lulu what you _really_ think of her cookin'?"

"Ooo...jeet. That's just...that's plain cruel, Boss."

* * *

><p>Daisy paid little attention when Rosco and Boss came out of the office and into the bar. She was finishing up sweeping and then she'd be done for the day.<p>

"Daisy Duke," started Rosco, "for shame, for shame...Everybody knows your name."

She looked up, annoyed. "What are you goin' on about, Rosco? Ever'body knows you've got a lot more t' be shameful for than me."

"Oh, but see, Daisy," said Boss, "that's where you're wrong."

Daisy's heart began to beat faster. She'd been around long enough to tell when Boss Hogg was cooking up one of his schemes, and she had a bad feeling she was right smack dab in the middle of one. "What d' you mean, Boss?" she asked, warily.

"Well, I just finished countin' th' register, and d' you know what didn't find?"

"What?"

"I _didn't_ find $500 that should've been there."

Daisy looked at him as though he'd sprouted another head. "Boss, that's ridiculous! You know I'd never take any money outta here." She pointed to him. "More than likely it's gotten stashed in th' wrong pocket."

He covered the pocket of his coat defensively. "Why, I never! You were th' only one workin' today, weren't you?"

"You know I was, Boss," she said, angrily.

"Though...you know," he said, innocently, "I, in the gracious spirit of Christmas, am gonna give you a choice."

She glared at him, fully aware that she was being set-up and that there was nothing in the world she could do about it. "What's that, Boss?"

"You can either pay me restitution, including bankin' fees and such, to th' tune of $750..."

"Boss!" she seethed, "You know good an' well none of us Dukes have that kind of money!"

"Well, in that case, I might be persuaded to take over th' farm as payment in full."

Daisy's eyes glittered with tears. "I never thought you'd stoop so low...t' be doin' this t' us Dukes on Christmas Eve. Of all th' low down, dirty..."

"Now, now, Daisy," he interrupted, "there ain't no need t' spoil your Christmas over it. I'm gonna give you till th' day after t' come up with th' money."

"Boss..."

"Oh, and another thing...you're fired! Rosco, escort this riff-raff off th' premises." He waved in her general direction and turned back towards the office.

Rosco watched him go, feeling badly for Daisy, but determined to go through with it nonetheless.

She turned her attention to the Sheriff. "Rosco, you know it ain't true."

The pleading in her voice nearly broke his heart, but he looked away from her. "I'm sorry, Daisy. I...I really am, but there ain't nothin' I can do."

She grabbed her coat. "You're th' law, Rosco," she reminded him. "You could if you wanted to."

* * *

><p>The snow cascaded down upon Daisy, as she climbed into Dixie with a heavy heart. She'd gotten only a mile down the road before the shock of what Boss had done settled in. She pressed on through her tears, wanting to be home as soon as she could, and tried to focus on the road through the whirling flakes. Suddenly, a deer bounded in front of her. Her brakes locked when she swerved, and there was a violent shudder as Dixie hit a tree and died.<p>

In shock, Daisy rested her forehead against the steering wheel and wept until she felt she had no more tears inside her.

_"Dear Lord," _she prayed,_ "I just don't know what t' do. Sometimes I think everybody would just have been better off if I'd never been born."_

A knock on her window nearly scared her senseless. She wiped off the fogged glass and a boy, perhaps twelve or thirteen, peered back at her from the other side. Her first thought was that she'd hit him as she rolled down her window.

"Oh my gosh! Are you alright?" She craned her head around as far as she could, but there was nothing but the deserted lane and the snow.

"I'm fine," he said, "cold though. Say, would'ja mind if I sat in your car for a little while?"

She looked down at him and couldn't help but smile. "What are you doin' out in this kind of weather? Hop on in."

He scuttled around the Jeep and a moment later opened the passenger side door and climbed in. Daisy flipped on the dome light and saw a kid with carrot-red hair and a smattering of freckles across his nose and cheeks. He beamed back at her, his blue eyes sparkling with mischief. She figured he must be a run-away from the Sheridan Orphan's Home, but that was a good ten miles away.

"Alright, mister," she said. "I'll tell you what. I won't take you back to th' orphanage tonight, but tomorrow I'm gonna have to. I'm sure they're worried sick about you, out in this storm an' all."

"Oh, you don't have to do that, " he said, "I didn't come from the orphanage."

"Oh really?" she asked, doubtfully. "Where'd ya' come from then, an' I'll drop you home. That is if I didn't wreck Dixie too much." She looked out over the hood, but couldn't see the grill from inside.

"Up there," he said, pointing towards the roof.

Daisy laughed at the joke. "Heaven, huh? Well, I'm sure we've got room for an angel for one night at the farm." She opened the Jeep's door. "I'm just gonna see how bad th' damage is. I'll be right back."

She closed the door behind her, and walked around to the front of the Jeep, noticing that the snow had completely stopped. There was a large tree in front and Dixie's front bumper was just touching it. For all the crunching sounds and bumps, she couldn't find a scratch of damage on it. Confused, she got back in and shut the door.

"That's funny, " she said to herself, "I coulda sworn I'd hit that tree..."

"You _did_ hit that tree."

"No, I couldn't have. There's not a scratch anywhere."

"Well, _now_ there's not."

Daisy shook her head. "What was your name?"

"I don't have one."

"Fine, you don't have to tell me. Listen, I've had a rough day, an' I just want t' get home. I'd really appreciate it if ya' didn't play any games with me."

"Games?" he looked up at her, confused. "I'm not sure what you mean, Miss Daisy."

"I just... How do you know my name?"

He smiled. "Oh, I know everything about you," he explained. "Otherwise I guess I wouldn't be much help to you, would I?"

"You know, I think I'll go ahead an' call th' orphanage as soon as we get home 'cause I gotta tell you, you're scarin' me just a little bit."

"I'm awful sorry about that," he said. "It's probably because I'm new at this."

"New at _what_?"

"At being an angel, of course."

Daisy stared at him for a long moment. "I must've bumped my head or somethin'." She turned the key and to her relief the engine roared to life. Carefully, she backed out of the shallow ditch, put the Jeep in drive, and headed off down Mill Road towards the farm. As much as she loved kids, a boy with no name claiming to be an angel was at the bottom of the list of things she felt like dealing with. She'd feed him, let Uncle Jesse give him the "grow up and make something of yourself" talk, and then drop him back at the orphanage...or the psych ward at the hospital.

They were almost to the farm when the boy spoke again.

"Where are you going?"

"Home."

"If you're going to the old Duke Place, there won't be anybody there."

"I don't know what you're talkin' about. Uncle Jesse and th' boys stayed home today. Now, listen, you'd better stop with this 'angel' nonsense before you get there. Uncle Jesse don't hold with making light of the Good Book or anything in it," she said, longing for her cozy kitchen. "We're almost there. Just right around th' next curve. See..."

An eerie feeling crawled up her spine as she turned off on the drive down towards the house. Something seemed "off". No smoke swirled up from the chimney, and neither Uncle Jesse's pickup or the General Lee were anywhere to be seen. The closer she got, the more wrong everything seemed.

Daisy's hands shook as she opened the door and climbed out. It could barely be called the same house that she'd left only that morning. Most of the window panes in the front had been smashed, and the unbroken ones were grimy and dark. A front post by the door had splintered, causing the porch to sag to one side. The front door hung open on broken hinges, and even the wooden steps that Bo and Luke had built were gone, replaced by the rocks that had served the same purpose before that. She swore they were even the same rocks...

She felt as though she were walking through a dream, her legs taking her forward of their own accord towards the porch.

"Uncle Jesse!" she called. "Luke...Bo...?"

She ran up the steps and into what should have been the kitchen. The house was gutted and desolate. Nothing remained - no stove, no table, even the cabinets and counter-tops were missing. Where the floorboards had not rotted through, puddles rain water stood, slowly rotting the wood that was left. Chunks of sheet-rock hung from the ceiling, water-logged and covered in black mold.

"Uncle Jesse!" she cried again, but the only answer was the wind, keening softly through the ruined farmhouse. "Where is everyone?"

She couldn't grasp it at all. She sank to her knees on the kitchen floor. Remembering the strange boy and his uncanny prediction, she turned to find him standing in the doorway "What's happened here? How did you know..."

"That's what I've been trying to tell you, Miss Daisy," he said, softly. "They aren't here."

"This is a dream," she whispered. "A crazy, horrible dream, an' I need t' wake up." She closed her eyes and concentrated, giving her arms a painful pinch.

"It's not a dream," he said. "Your uncle died October 18, 1968, when his car flipped over the ravine on Ridge-Runner Road while he was coming home from a bootlegging run. Deputy Ledbetter was chasing him, and his foot slipped off the brake at Dead Man's Corner. Luke an' Bo became wards of the state and never saw each other or Hazzard again."

Tears sprang to her eyes. There was only one explanation for what was happening to her. "I hurt myself pretty bad when I hit th' tree, didn't I?" Her heart ached for her family, who must have found her dead or dying on Christmas Eve. Was this what a coma was like? The thing was, if this was a dream...it was so _real_. She could feel the roughness of the wooden planks beneath her hands, the cold sting of the wind against her cheeks...

The boy took a deep breath. Humans seemed to have a way of not believing things, even if they were right in front of them. "You're not hurt, and you didn't hit your head. Please, try to calm down and I'll do my best to explain."

Daisy regarded him solemnly, waiting for him to continue.

"After you swerved and hit the tree, you told God that you thought that everyone would be better off if you'd never been born. So, here it is..."

"Here what is?"

"What the world would be like if you'd never been born." The boy's blue eyes met hers. "On that day in October of 1968, you were sick in bed with a fever. Your uncle asked Moses Davenport to take his run that night so that he could stay home with you because _you_ were more important to him than moonshine."

Daisy remembered that night, and how Uncle Jesse had brought her crushed ice to eat and stayed by her bed until she'd fallen asleep. How would anyone else know about that? "I had chicken-pox...," she murmured.

"But because you were never born, Jesse Duke lost his life that day."

She jumped up suddenly. "No...no...this is all a trick!" She ran down from the porch and back to the Jeep.

"Miss Daisy, where are you going?" the boy called after her.

"I'm goin' t' see Rosco an' give him a piece of my mind! This time he an' Boss have gone too far, and as for _you_... I've had enough of your shuck-an'-jive, kid!"

She sped away in Dixie, as the boy raised his eyes up towards the sky. "She's a stubborn one, alright."


	2. Chapter 2

It was drizzling a cold rain now, turning them into slick trails of muddy slush. Daisy plowed through them, intent on getting to the bottom of whatever crooked scheme Boss was playing at. She skidded to a stop before she got to town and threw the Jeep into reverse.

The sign beside the road read: "Hoggville,_ pop. 1,729"_

"I can't believe th' nerve of that man! Even changin' out th' sign for Hazzard. Seems like that oughta be against some Federal law or somethin'."

She threw Dixie back in gear and continued into town. This was, without a doubt the worst thing that Boss had ever done. First he'd accused her of something she hadn't done, then tried to blackmail her into signing over the farm, now he'd actually evicted them and torn up their home.

She parked in front of the Police Station, unsurprised to find it now renamed the "Hoggville Police Station". Enos had gone home already today or he'd be having a fit, she was sure. She stormed into the building and Rosco, who'd been cat-napping, startled awake and nearly fell out of his chair. Noticing Daisy, his eyes grew wide, and he stood and stepped out from behind the desk.

"Ma'am, is there...is there somethin' I can help you with?"

She advanced on him angrily, and he skittered back from her. "Rosco, you know dang well why I'm here," she shouted. "Don't play tricks with me! Where's Uncle Jesse an' th' boys? I can't believe you'd put them in jail on Christmas Eve!" She stomped past him towards the stairs and the holding cells.

He grabbed her arm and pulled her back. "Hey now, I don't know what's wrong with you, lady, but I don't know _you_ an' I aint got your Uncle or any body else in jail for that matter."

She wrenched her arm out of his grip. The tears that had been threatening to come slipped down her cheeks. "Rosco, _please_," she cried. "this is too much... Please...just _please_, stop lying to me!"

The sheriff let her go. She ran down the stairs, but stopped short at the bottom. The holding cells were empty.

"I don't understand," she whispered. "I just don't understand what's goin' on." She raised her eyes towards Heaven. "Please, God, if this is a dream, please let me wake up."

"I've been trying to tell you, Miss Daisy. This isn't a dream."

Daisy spun around to find the boy she'd left fifteen miles back at the farm standing in the stairwell with her. She reached out and steadied herself against the wall. "Who _are_ you?"

"I told you before, I'm your guardian angel."

"G-guardian angel?" she repeated. "I thought angels were s'posed t' be all glowy an' shiny, with halos an' wings."

"Well, I don't have my wings, yet. I have to earn them," he explained. "I don't know about all those other things. You know, you've really been given a gift - the chance to see what everything would be like if you hadn't been here."

"But...but...there's...so _much_! Even the name of th' town-"

"Without Bo and Luke here to ruin Boss Hogg's schemes, there was no one to keep his power in check," he told her. "He bought up the whole town...changed the name, and anyone who didn't like it was run out on a rail. It's amazing, isn't it - how a single life can touch so many others? You've been a bigger influence than you realize."

She rubbed at her eyes, but the red headed kid was still standing there in front of her. "No! This is crazy! Either _I'm_ crazy or _you're_ crazy..or...or everybody else is crazy! Kids don't just show up claiming t' be angels, and I'm Daisy Duke, and all I do is work at the Boars' Nest! At least I did until Boss fired me."

"There is no Daisy Duke," he insisted. "Not anymore."

"Well then, who am I?"

"You're nobody." He watched her as she fumbled in the pockets of her coat and found them all empty. "You don't have a driver's license or a wallet."

"Someone robbed me-"

"No one's robbed you. You don't have any of that stuff anymore, because you don't exist."

Daisy held her right hand out in front of her.

"It's not there, either."

She looked back at him. "What?"

"Your ring. It's not there because you weren't here for Enos to give it to you."

Daisy stared at him, dumbfounded. "I never told anyone who gave me that ring. Enos is the only one who knows where it came from."

Seventeen years she had worn it, though boyfriends and lovers had come and gone. Why she'd never taken it off all these years, she couldn't say except that it reminded her of the adventures they had shared when they were kids.

"I told you. I know everything about you. Enos found the ring buried in the dirt when you were kids and he gave it to you."

She met the boy's eyes. "I don't know what to believe about what _you're_ tellin' me, but there's one person who'll tell me th' truth." She brushed past him and headed up the stairway.

Rosco was waiting for her, along with Doc Appleby. "There she is, Doc," Rosco said when he saw Daisy. "She must've had an awful bump on th' head or got some bad moonshine or somethin'."

Daisy gave the doctor a tight smile. "Merry Christmas, Doc. Rosco, if you won't help me, I'll go talk to Enos!"

Rosco shook his head. "Enos? You mean Enos _Strate_? Lord, you _must've_ bonked your noggin. That boy ain't been right since his pa' blew hisself up."

She glared back at him. "What a horrible thing t' say, Rosco. Enos does more around here in one week than you do in a year's worth of Sundays, an' you still ain't got th' decency t' quit pickin' at him!"

Daisy left Hazzard Square...or rather _Hoggville_ Square and pulled over in front of the boarding house where Enos Strate lived...or _should_ live. He should have made it home by now if he'd come straight from the Boars' Nest, and though it was unusual for her to visit him here, she didn't know where else to go. She took a deep breath and knocked on his door.

The door opened and a middle aged woman in a pink, fluffy bathrobe peered at her. "Can I help you?" Daisy was so stunned that she forgot what she was going to say. The woman tried again. "Hello? Miss?"

"I...I'm sorry. I was looking for Enos Strate."

The woman shook her head. "There ain't no Strates, Enos or otherwise livin' here, honey. Sorry." She shut the door.

Slowly, Daisy walked back out of the boarding house, and sat down on the snowy step. Everything was so _real_, and she found it took almost as much energy and imagination to believe that it was a dream as it was to believe the crazy story about the kid being an angel and her not existing anymore. Uncle Jesse...Luke...Bo...and now Enos. But Enos was different - he had family in Hazzard, and even if he wasn't where he was supposed to be, he should be here _somewhere_. After all, Rosco had known his name.

The boy was sitting beside her quietly, reading a paperback copy of _Huckleberry Finn_, which after everything else that had happened today, Daisy didn't find particularly surprising.

"Where is he?"

The boy looked up. "Where's who?"

"Enos," she called back as she walked to Dixie, "he's got t' be here somewhere."

He rushed to stuff the book in his coat pocket and ran after her. "No! No, Miss Daisy. You don't want t' go lookin' for _him._"

She spun around and walked back towards him. "Yes, I do," she snapped. "Now, where is he?"

"I...I ain't supposed t' tell you..."

Kid or no kid, Daisy was at the end of her rope. She grabbed him by the shoulders and gave him a shake. "Listen here, you...you whatever you are! You tell me where Enos is, right this minute or I'm gonna-"

"He's at th' Boars' Nest...but you ain't gonna like what you find..."

* * *

><p>The Boars' Nest looked exactly as she'd left it earlier that day. Except it was <em>open<em>. She supposed maybe Boss had reopened it, but dismissed the idea. He didn't have anyone to call in, and he wouldn't lift a finger to pour his _own_ beer, much less someone else's. She wasn't sure what she expected to find, what with the way everything else was turning out.

As she walked to the door, the boy stepped in front of her, blocking the way. "Stop for a minute," he said. "There's something you have to understand about what's happened to you."

"I'm listening."

"This may seem like a dream to you, but to everyone else here, _you're_ the one who's out of place. Enos won't know you, and don't try to convince him that he does."

"Fine." She tried to brush past him, but for an angel he was amazingly solid.

"There's something else you need to know," he continued. "You're the only one who can see and hear me, and I can't change what's already been set in motion...nor can you."

"What do you mean?"

"That's not for me to say."

Daisy's hand was sweaty as she turned the knob and went in. It wasn't crowded, but it was still a decent draw for a holiday. Two guys sat at the bar and a few were scattered around the tables. At first glance, she didn't see Enos, but then she realized he might not be in uniform.

She looked closer at the patrons. In the corner table, halfway hidden by the end of the bar, sat a man whose posture seemed familiar though she didn't recognize the red and black checkered hunting coat he wore. His back was to her, and he didn't turn around even when she came to stand behind him.

"Enos..."

The man turned around and looked at her, but the hazel eyes that usually shone with happiness when they met hers were blood-shot and haunted and showed no recognition for her whatsoever. His brows knitted together in confusion. "Yeah?"

"Enos...you're...you're _drunk_." As incomprehensible as that might be, it didn't take a genius to tell he'd had more than a few of something stiff. "I've never seen you drink."

Her words were met by a flurry of laughter from the guys sitting around them. "Lady, you must be new around here if you ain't never seen Enos drink," said one of them.

"Oh, go easy on him, " said the bartender, "if I had t' go home t' _his_ wife, I'd get drunk first, too."

Enos picked up the shot glass from in front of him and chucked it at the man, missing him by a hair, but shattering a glass pitcher on the shelf behind him.

"Hey," the man shouted, "I'm puttin' that on your tab."

Enos got shakily to his feet. "Sorry, Jerry. I'll pay ya' for it next week."

Jerry waved it aside. "Aww, don't worry 'bout it. You go on home an' rest up. It's Christmas Eve, ya' know."

Enos grimaced. "Yeah, I know." He seemed about as thrilled as a fish out of water. "Y'all have a good one."

"You, too, buddy."

Daisy watched the scene in disbelief. She'd never seen Enos lose his temper, even when they were kids. He brushed past her on his way out the door, but his foot caught on one of the bar stools and he landed face first on the floor.

"Enos!" Daisy ran over to him, crouched down and slid her arm underneath his to support him as she helped him back to his feet. Well aware that the other patrons were staring at them, she guided him as quickly as she could out the door.

As soon as it shut behind them, he dropped his arm from around her shoulders. "I'm mighty obliged to ya', ma'am," he said, "but I ain't drunk. Not as much as I let 'em think, anyway." He took an uncertain, shaky step towards the parking lot.

"I think you're a little more drunk than you think you are," Daisy answered, reaching out once more to steady him, and she realized that if she let him drive off, she might never see him again. She needed to find a way to keep him here...or follow him.

He fumbled with his keys and they dropped from his hand. "Ding-dang it!" He bent down, feeling through the snow.

Daisy, being cold sober, plucked them up immediately from where they'd fallen. "Here, let me drive ya' home," she offered.

"Oh no, ma'am. That ain't necessary. I'll be fine."

"I insist," she said, still holding his keys. "Please, it's the least I can do...it bein' Christmas an' all."

He looked as if he might disagree with her, but it was half-hearted. Instead he sighed. "Alright."

She looked around, but since Enos didn't have a car other than Hazzard #2, she wasn't sure what he'd driven. "Which one?"

"Huh? Oh, it's th' blue pick-up."

A blue, early 70's model Ford pick-up sat in the second parking space from the door. They climbed in and Daisy turned the key in the ignition. Nothing happened.

"Sorry," he said, "it's temperamental. Pump th' gas a couple times."

She pumped the gas three times and then tried again. The truck roared to life. "Alright then, just lead th' way." She could feel him watching her and she glanced over and gave him a quick smile.

"I'm sorry," he apologized. "Here y'are drivin' me home, an' I don't even know your name."

His words cut her deeply, but she remembered the boy's admonition to play along. "I'm Daisy. Daisy Duke."

"Duke," he said, thoughtfully, "you ain't by chance related to any of th' Dukes that use t' live around here?"

"I am," she smiled, grateful that at least he knew her family. It gave her an idea. "Jesse Duke is my..._was_ my uncle, but I haven't seen him since I was a little girl. I was passing through Georgia so I decided to drop by an' surprise him, but I guess the surprise was on me." The sadness in her voice was genuine.

"I'm awful sorry for your loss, ma'am. Mr. Duke was a right fine man. He an' my pa' ran 'shine together."

_Mr. Duke_...the words sounded strange coming from Enos. He'd always been "Uncle Jesse" to him. "Did you know Luke and Bo?"

"Luke an' I were in school together before he went away," he said. "I didn't spend much time around him otherwise. Luke an' I never saw eye to eye on much."

Daisy thought it an odd admission, and she wondered if the _real_ Enos felt that way about her cousin. Growing up, Enos tended to grate on Luke's nerves, but she'd never stopped to think the friction might run in both directions.

"So...you grew up around here?" She knew good and well he did, but she wanted to keep him talking.

"Yep. Up in those hills, yonder." He gestured in front of them and up to the left where the foothills of the Blue-Ridge Mountains rose up out of the valley. "At least 'till my pa' died, and I moved t' New Mexico with my ma' for a couple years."

"You didn't go-"

She was about to say, 'you didn't go with her', but caught herself. In the _real_ world, Enos had changed his mind about leaving Hazzard, and his mother had dropped him off by the side of the road over twenty miles from home. After a neighbor had come by and told the Duke's that they'd left, Daisy had hitched a ride up to his house, and found him sleeping on his porch - dirty and exhausted from walking home all night. It was a day that would be etched in her memory for the rest of her life, and as she thought about it, she could see him again in her mind's eye as clearly as she had then, the sunlight playing over his face as he slept peacefully, and the look in his eyes when he woke to find her there beside him.

They had been so close once, and a pang of regret at the years that were gone brought a lump to her throat.

"You didn't stay in Hazzard?" she asked instead.

"Wasn't much t' stay for, I guess. Not for me, anyway. I was never much good at school, an' people tend t' shy away from ridgerunner's kids." He pointed at a road up ahead. "Take a left here."

She turned off and he directed her down other roads until she had no idea where she was, even though she'd lived in Hazzard all her life. Enos had always known the backroads better than anyone, though.

"You got someplace t' stay?" he asked her, worry coloring his voice.

Her heart gave an odd thump. "No, I was gonna see about some place in town."

He shook his head. "Oh no, don't do that. Your uncle ran shine with my pa', so around here that practically makes us family. We've got room, why don't ya' stay with us?"

The _us_ part was not lost on her, nor was the gold ring on his left hand, but she didn't mention either. "Oh, I'd really appreciate that, but I wouldn't want t' be a bother."

"It's Christmas Eve an' unless you're plannin' on walkin', you don't have a ride back t' town." He was silent for a moment, and she knew him well enough to know that he was nervous. "I'd be much obliged if you would," he added, quietly, in a voice that wasn't so much shy as it was hopeful.

She stole a glance at him, but he was looking down at his fidgeting hands. "I guess you have a point," she answered. "I promise I won't be any trouble."

She thought she saw the ghost of a smile cross his face.


	3. Chapter 3

_"_I embrace bereavement  
>for everything beloved is shattered anyway.<br>I would devote myself to anyone -  
>I would accept any flaws..."<em>  
><em>-Opeth<em>_  
><em><br>_

* * *

><p>"It's just after the bridge.."<p>

The trestles of the old L & N Railroad bridge rose like sentinels before them in the fading daylight - bathing the leafless branches in hues of ember as the sun sank further behind the mountains. The landmark meant that they weren't far from where Enos had grown up. The place held a dark memory for Daisy, for it was here that fifteen year old Enos Strate had nearly fallen to his death. He'd climbed over the railing and made his way to where the end of the support bent jutted far out over the water. She'd found him, frozen with terror, 100 feet above the turbulent, rain swollen river. Whatever had possessed him to be there she'd never known, but there had been a change in him afterwards - somehow he'd looked down into the depths of the raging Chattahoochee, and he'd found a purpose to his life.

But that had been after his mother left him, which meant it hadn't happened _here._

"There's a trail up yonder to the right," Enos said, pointing ahead. "It's pretty hard t' see. I keep meanin' t' pave it, but prices ain't been very good this last year-"

"Prices?"

"That, an' I'm a piss poor moonshiner."

Daisy's heart skipped a beat. "Moonshiner?"

"It ain't somethin' I'm proud of," he said, quietly. "Right here." He pointed off to the side where a dirt drive broke the tree line.

Water from the melting snow had filled the ruts down each side of the drive, and Daisy crept along, not wanting to run off into the ravine that they skirted to the right. The lane opened into a clearing where a small farmhouse stood, smaller than the house she remembered him living in as a kid, and older, in need of a new coat of paint. Unlike his old homestead, the glow of electric lights shone softly from its windows. Daisy pulled up in front and handed Enos his keys.

She followed him up the stairs of the porch. He paused before he opened the door, and closing his eyes and sighing deeply, as though resigning himself to whatever might greet him on the other side.

"Enos, are you sure I'm not goin' t' be causin' you trouble?"

"Just let me handle it," was his not so encouraging reply.

He opened the door, and held it for her as she followed him in. The house wasn't much warmer than the outside, though a fire burned in the fireplace in the main living room. He took off his coat and draped it over arm of a couch - which seemed familiar to her, before motioning her to follow him. The house was set up with a main living room, a small kitchen off to the left, and a darkened hallway off to the right of the fireplace. He led her around to the left and into a kitchen where a woman, who'd obviously heard the door and been waiting, leaned against the counter, her arms crossed in front of her.

She was slender; her permed, chestnut hair shoulder length, and would have possibly been pretty if it hadn't been for the fact that there was something about her...some indefinable quality that made warnings bells go off in Daisy's mind. Her warm smile didn't quite go as far as her brown eyes, which after flicking quickly to Daisy, settled on Enos.

"Well?"

"Uh, Emma, you remember th' Dukes I told you about?"

The woman rolled her eyes impatiently. "I've heard a hundred of your stories, Enos."

"This here's Daisy Duke. Her uncle was Jesse Duke, he used t' run shine with my pa'."

"And...?"

"Uh, well...she came t' visit him 'cause she didn't know he'd passed on, but since her family ain't there no more, I offered t' let her stay on here a nght." He glanced at Daisy. "Daisy, this is Emma, my wife."

Daisy forced herself to smile. "Pleased t' meet, you...,"

The woman regarded her warily. "Well, I don't know what Enos told you, but we ain't a boarding house. I don't have anywhere other than th' couch."

Ordinarily Daisy would have reiterated that she didn't want to be a bother, but she was afraid Emma might just agree with her and kick her out into the snow. "That'll be fine," she said instead. "I really appreciate it."

Emma ignored her. "Enos, those jars'll need washed out before you use 'em."

"I'll get it done."

"Make sure you do. I'm goin' t' bed."

She took a step closer to him and brushed the side of his face with her hand. It struck Daisy as more of a possessive gesture than one of love, but the whole scene was so surreal that she thought perhaps was reading too much into it.

Emma left them alone in the kitchen and a moment later, Daisy heard a door shut. Enos looked visibly relieved.

Daisy gestured back towards the living room. "The couch across from the fireplace?"

"Yeah. Um...I'll go find you a blanket," he said and disappeared in the same direction as his wife had gone.

Daisy wandered back into the living room, looking around for anything that might give her anymore clues to Enos' life as it was here. The walls were unadorned, without pictures or paintings. A simple calico drape covered the window, and his father's 12 gauge shotgun hung over the door. Other than that, there was little to wonder at.

Enos returned, carrying a pillow and a quilt which he handed to her. "It ain't much, but I reckon th' fire'll keep you plenty warm." He glanced down at his fidgeting hands for a moment before focusing back on her. "Look, I'm...I'm real sorry about...," he stammered, "...she's...we ain't used t' havin' vistors." His eyes pleaded with her to understand.

Daisy brushed his apology aside. "That's alright."

He took a deep breath and smiled at her. "Anyway, it'll be better than th' Hogg Hotel," he said. "It has all sorts of creepy varmints livin' there...an' some of 'em ain't even human."

She laughed at his joke, and he grinned shyly. "I'll be fine."

"Alright then...um...there's a bathroom, down the end of the hallway if you need it. I'll let you get some sleep."

"Enos...,"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you..."

He nodded. "Goodnight, Daisy Duke."

"Good-night, Enos."

He left her then, going back down the hallway towards what presumably was the bedroom and bathroom. Daisy gazed at the couch for a moment before unfolding the quilt and draping it over. She took the pillow and lay down, pulling the quilt over her shoulders.

Staring into the flames of the fire, she thought back over all that had happened that day. Was it even just _one_ day? This morning - in the real world, felt like another lifetime ago. She had resigned herself that something both amazing and terrible had happened to her and that, try as she might, she was now even powerless to say that this was a dream. Things were too real, made too much sense - at least sense in the way that they meshed with each other instead of being fragmented and confusing as the timeline of a dream might be. People had histories that she would never in her wildest imagination have given them.

Enos was_ married_? Her mind couldn't even wrap itself around _that_ one. Where had he met the woman? She wasn't from around here, that much Daisy knew. Her accent was different, not originally Georgian though she must have lived here long enough to pick it up. Most alarming was the similarity between her and Enos' mother - a bitter woman who'd never had a kind word to spare for anyone, least of all her own son. Daisy's thoughts wandered unbidden to the bedroom down the hallway. Not that she was...was _jealous_. She just, well she would have wanted him to be happy, is all...

She closed her eyes, hoping sleep would come and she'd wake up in her own bed, but she wasn't tired. Fifteen, maybe twenty minutes passed before she gave up trying. She got up and wandered into the hallway and down to the bathroom at the end of the hall, flipped on the light, and shut the door. Like the rest of the house, it was sparse, and the fixtures of green porcelain gave the room an institutional feel. She looked in the mirror and was mildly surprised to see her reflection gazing back. She turned on the faucet, letting the water grow slowly warmer and then bent over, splashing it over her cheeks with her hands. Her face was buried in the towel beside the sink when a crash from a nearby room made her jump.

Daisy opened the door quietly and turned off the light. From behind the door next to the bathroom, Emma's voice echoed through the hall.

"...anything th' way it ought to be done!" she was saying.

Daisy stepped closer, unable to tear herself away.

"You'd best figure out a way t' get enough for it. An' I don't mean t'morrow. That mash ain't gonna distill itself."

She paused, but if Enos said anything in return, Daisy couldn't hear. Emma continued. "It ain't enough that your shine tastes like piss - now you're draggin' other women home with you!"

"Now Em, it ain't like that, an' you know it," he insisted.

"I know a whore when I see one! She'd best be gone t'morrow."

"Em, please," he begged, "don't talk like that. You know I ain't ever been untrue t' you..."

His words were interrupted by the unmistakable sound of flesh hitting flesh, as though someone had been slapped - hard. Inside Daisy, a burning fury rose up from the depths of her soul. Unconsciously, her hand went to the doorknob, but the boy angel, who'd been suspiciously absent since the Boars' Nest, pulled her back.

"You can't change anything, Miss Daisy.," he reminded her. "Let him be."

"If there's somethin' you don't like here," screamed Emma from behind the door, "th' Chattahoochee's right out there. Maybe we'd all be better off if ya' go take a swim in it!"

Footsteps came over to the door, and Daisy ran to the living room, tucking herself under the blanket on the couch just as the bedroom door opened. Shaking with emotion, she listened, her eyes fixed on the 12 gauge above the door which she knew would be loaded. The footsteps were familiar though, and she breathed a sigh of relief as she recognized them as Enos'. She toyed with the idea of feigning sleep, but dismissed it, and instead her concern for his well being drove her off the couch and into the kitchen. He stood by the sink, packing quart jars into a cardboard box. Lord, how well she knew what _those_ were for...

He looked up and for a second their eyes met. To Daisy, it was though the time of a thousand sunrises and sunsets slipped away, leaving again the boy who'd lost his whole world when his father had died and had no idea who or what he was. They were filled with fear, self-doubt, sadness, hopelessness...and suddenly she wanted to hold him - to wrap her arms around him and feel his heart beat against hers. A large, angry, red mark spread across his left cheek.

"I didn't wake ya', did I?" he asked.

"No, I can't sleep," she answered. "You?"

He gave her a half-hearted smile and shrugged. "I gotta get t' work. Jasper Moore's makin' a run t'morrow night and if I don't get these filled, it'll be a long day t'morrow."

Daisy found herself not knowing what to say to him. His father had worked so hard to get him out of these hills and yet, here he was, just another backwoods moonshiner.

"You wanna come with me? I mean...if you can't sleep." He looked away. "Nevermind, I'm sorry..."

She grinned. "I'd love to."

The brilliant smile she got in return brought a lump to her throat.

* * *

><p><em>AN: If you haven't read it, the whole story behind what happened at that bridge can be found in the fanfic "The Story of Us", Chapters 3-5 (Someday Never Comes)  
><em>


	4. Chapter 4

_"Is there a heaven or hell,_  
><em> and will I come back -<em> _who can tell?_  
><em> Now I can see <em>  
><em> what matters to me -<em>  
><em> it's as clear as crystal...<em>

_And I can't believe how_  
><em>I've been wasting my time..."<em>  
><em>-Jem<em>

* * *

><p>The pickup jostled over the ruts as Enos sped down roads that either had no names, or whose identity had been long forgotten. Daisy had debated letting him drive, but despite the fact that he still had to have been buzzing from his visit to the Boars' Nest earlier, he seemed sober enough. Besides that, she had no earthly idea where they were going.<p>

She rubbed her cold hands together to warm them, and wished he'd at least turn on the heat. True to form, her action caught his eye.

"I'm sorry, you're prob'ly freezin'," he said, turning the dial on the console to heat. "I've got so much on my mind, I ain't even noticed."

Daisy realized belatedly that tagging along with him might get Enos into even more trouble with Emma. The sound of her hitting him still resonated in her ears, and she didn't know if that was something she could ever get over or forget. "Maybe I shoulda stayed," she said, nervously. "I don't want t' get you into more trouble."

He glanced over at her, his mouth turned down in a half-frown. "You heard that, huh?"

"I was in th' bathroom," she said, embarrassed at being called out, "I wasn't tryin' t' hear. I'm sorry."

Enos shrugged. "It's hard bein' chained t' a fool like me, I reckon."

Daisy's eyes flashed angrily. "How could you say something like that? You're one of th' kindest, sweetest people I've ever met."

He laughed in disbelief. "You ain't met many people, I reckon."

He turned the volume dial up on the radio, flooding the cab with the soft strains of Christmas music, ending the conversation.

She turned away from him, resting her forehead against the cold glass of the window . Outside the trees sped by in a blur of green, gold, and black in the stark light from the truck's headlamps. They climbed higher into the mountains, her ears popping as their altitude increased, and Daisy wondered if they were still in Hazzard County. She was almost asleep when movement in front of the truck caught her attention. Standing in the midst of their path stood the boy. Angel or not, his eyes shone like jewels in the headlights as he stretched his arm out towards the truck as it bore down on him.

Too late, Enos slammed on the brakes, throwing Daisy's body against the seatbelt that had been an afterthought when she'd gotten in. The balding tires skidded on the gravel road and the truck came to rest sideways between the ditches.

"Possum on a gum-bush!" Enos exclaimed, shaking visibly. "Some...there was somebody in th' road!" He fumbled with his seatbelt, threw open the door, and climbed out.

Daisy followed him out, looking towards the woods on either side, but the boy was nowhere to be seen. Enos was down on his hands and knees, searching frantically under the truck.

"Maybe it was a deer," she offered, hoping to ease his mind.

He walked back over to where she stood in front of the truck, the headlights shining over her. The panic was still raw in his eyes, and he ran his hand nervously through his hair as he looked past her towards the other side of the road.

"Lord Almighty," he whispered, unnerved, "I thought I hit a kid..."

Before she could answer him, he went over to the truck and took the box full of glass jars out of the back. Setting it on the ground, Daisy watched him with wide eyes as he took them out one by one, and chucked them as far as he could out into the woods.

"Maybe it was a specter or a spook or something," he murmured, "...either way, there ain't no way I'm runnin' that still t'night. No how, no way...not on Christmas Eve." He turned back around towards her, determination set on his face. "There's somewhere I need t' go - before t'morrow..." He seemed to war within himself for a moment before nodding, resolved to his decision. "You ain't tired, are ya'?" he asked. "There's somethin' I'd like ya' t' see."

She glanced at her watch, which she'd forgotten wasn't there. "How long will it take?" she asked him. "I don't want your wife t' see us comin' in when she wakes up." She could only imagine the implications of _that_ situation.

"My ma' will be comin' by t' pick her up for Christmas dinner early," he said, waving her concern aside. "She'll just think you've already left, an' I fell asleep out at th' still. You should have a couple hours t' sleep when we get back before she comes home."

Daisy frowned. "Won't they miss _you_ for Christmas dinner?"

He shook his head. "They're so used t' me findin' an excuse not t' be there, they don't really expect me anymore."

Daisy thought back to earlier that morning at the Boars' Nest and wondered if maybe Enos' offer to drive her home had been because he was lonely more than him being worried about her driving home in the snow. Picturing him sitting alone in his quiet apartment, she wished she'd taken him up on his offer. She smiled back at his counterpart.

"Alright, if you think we'll get back in time."

Enos looked at his watch in the light from the truck. "It's just after two o'clock right now," he said. "We'll have plenty of time to get there."

_Plenty of time?_ "How far away is it?"

"Oh about two hours, give or take. I know sleepin' sittin' up's not real comfortable, but you can get some shut-eye on th' way if you don't mind."

Daisy was at a loss as to what Enos would need her to see that would be so far away, and ordinarily she would never agree to a trip like this with a stranger, but it was _Enos_ and despite their differences, it felt right to trust this one as much as she did the other.

* * *

><p>"So, where is it that we're going?"<p>

Enos had backtracked from the road they'd started out on, driving towards Hazzard down Ridgerunner Road to eventually come out at Colonial City where he'd taken Highway 76 up towards Hiawassee and the Georgia/Tennessee border.

He shot her a grin. "I can't tell ya."

"Why not?"

"'Cause you're libel t' tell me it's too far away." He tapped his fingers nervously against the steering wheel. "You know...I don't want ya' t' think that this is somethin' I normally do - cartin' strangers around with me, but...well...I don't know...your uncle was real close to my pa', and in a way you're th' only connection I've had to him in a long time. I hope you don't think I'm bein' too forward towards you. It ain't my intention."

She laughed, "No, that's fine."

There was the tiniest twinge of disappointment, though, that nagged at her in the back of her mind. She supposed she'd always taken it for granted that Enos was attracted to her - now he was merely dragging her along because she reminded him of Uncle Jesse who reminded him of his father. She supposed that explained why he didn't seem shy and nervous around her. She sighed and turned her attention back to the dark window and closed her eyes. Gradually the motion of the truck lulled her to sleep.

* * *

><p>It was still dark when she awoke, but she knew from the crick in her neck that she must have been out for at least an hour or two. The scenery out the window was the same - dark, but the stars had begun to fade.<p>

"Hey, sleepyhead," said Enos, glancing over at her, "welcome back."

Daisy yawned and stretched her arms out. "How long was I out?"

"About an hour and a half," he told her. "We're almost there."

She sat up straighter, watching the road ahead of them. The lights reflected off a green sign ahead which read: _Reliance, 20 miles. _She strained her eyes against the dark, hoping for a glimpse of the countryside, but there was nothing to see.

"It's only about five more miles," he said. "I hope you ain't too disappointed. It wouldn't be worth th' drive t' most people, but it kind-of means a lot t' me. I used to stop here a lot when I was comin' back from a run."

After a couple of minutes, he made a u-turn in the middle of the highway and parked the truck along the other side of the road next to a sign proclaiming it to be a "Scenic Wayside".

"We're early," he said. "It'll still be dark for a good while yet, but you might want t' stay in. It'll be cold before th' sun comes up." He unfastened his seatbelt and twisted his body until his back rested against the door and regarded her silently. "Well...," he started, taking a deep breath, "I reckon you already know what I'm runnin' away from. So what're _you_ runnin' away from?"

The question took her aback. Was she running away from something? "What're you talkin' about?"

"Why ain't you home with your family on Christmas? I figure either they ain't around no more - in which case I'm awful sorry, or you're runnin' away from 'em. Heck, you ain't even said where you're from."

"Kansas," she blurted out. It was the first thing that popped into her mind. "I'm...I'm from Kansas."

He didn't answer immediately, as though weighing the truth of her reply. "You're a long way from Kansas, Dorothy," he said, softly. "You got your mom an' dad, yet, or are they gone?"

"No," she murmured, "they both died when I was just a baby. I don't remember either of 'em."

He shifted uncomfortably. "I'm sorry, Daisy, I ain't too good at knowin' when t' stop talkin'. You don't have t' answer my questions if ya' don't want to. Ain't proper for me t' be askin' you anything personal anyways."

Daisy glanced up at him, just barely able to discern his face in the pre-dawn. "No, I don't mind," she said, easily. "If you don't mind me askin' you th' same."

"It's a deal, then," he agreed. She could hear the smile in his voice.

"Well," she started again, "I live with my uncle an' my two cousins, and I'm not sure that I'm runnin' away from anything or anyone." For the first time in many years she took a moment to think about what she _did_ feel. "I think... I think sometimes I try t' be so many things to so many people that I feel like I'm no good to anyone." Her own words surprised her - to have thought them in the recesses of her mind was one thing, but to say them aloud, it made them seem more real. "I miss when things were simple."

"I reckon if you asked those people, they'd say you do more than you have to and then some," he said, "and that maybe you're makin' things more complicated than they really are. Us guys are always gettin' accused of bein' complicated, but most of th' time we just can't figure out what in th' Sam Hill's goin' on." He laughed. "Take me, for instance. You gotta explain what in th' world you want, or I get all jumpy an' nervous. I can't go to th' store without havin' a list or I'm libel t' forget where I'm even goin' in th' first place."

"Really?" Could Enos' reticence towards her be that simple after all?

"Hey, it's almost time," he said, looking out the window.

The darkness had faded to gray now and in the dim light she could see the wayside. He started to open the door, but she called him back.

"Hey, wait...I was s'posed t' get a question."

He stopped. "I already know what you're gonna ask, an' you probably already know the answer." He turned, his eyes meeting hers. In them was a depth of sorrow that she'd never seen before, even after his father died. "Why does any sixteen year old boy marry an eighteen year old girl who doesn't love him?"

Her pulse quickened. Only two came to mind, and being that he wouldn't have been of a legal age without parental consent, it dropped the choice to one. She found she didn't even have words to ask, but in his eyes, she read the truth.

"You do a lot of stupid things when you think no one cares about you," he said. "I don't even remember...well, you know..._that_. She gave me some stuff t' drink...with little worms in it..." He ducked his eyes, ashamed.

"So...you...you have a kid?"

Enos sighed deeply. "No, she lost th' baby the week after we got married." He opened the truck door again. "I'm tired of thinkin' about it. If you miss th' sunrise, you'll be sorry."

Daisy climbed out of the truck, still in shock over what had happened to him. At _sixteen..._

Enos slipped past the guard rail an sat down an the edge of a bluff overlooking a great valley below. Daisy followed, taking a seat beside him.

The first streaks of pink stretched across the horizon, reflected in the immense lake that spread out before them, nestled between the peaks of the Blue-Ridge mountains. Gradually the light changed from pink to a brilliant, fiery orange as the sun rose slowly into the sky, making her eyes water with its intensity. Soon, all the colors around them were visible; the frosty blue of the cold water, the dark green of the pines on the mountains, and the beige and browns of the rocks along the cliff. She closed her eyes, letting the light soak into her, feeling its warmth against her skin in the cool air of the winter morning, aware that Enos was doing the same. It was a long time before either said a word.

"Hey Enos," said Daisy, finally, "...Merry Christmas."

He opened his eyes and grinned at her. "Merry Christmas, Daisy Duke."

* * *

><p>The drive back was uneventful, and Daisy managed to get another hour of sleep in along the way. Still, she knew she'd be good for nothing if she didn't lay down a while at Enos'. True to his word, the house was abandoned when they returned, though Emma had left a note for Enos which he glanced at quickly before shrugging and tossing it in the trash.<p>

"I'll put a couple more logs on th' fire for ya', " he said, throwing two good sized ones into the fireplace. "Now, you go ahead and get some sleep. An' don't worry about Emma, she ain't likely to be comin' home anytime soon. 'Specially since she thinks I'm comin' to get her."

Daisy looked at him, confused. "You meant you're not?"

Something in his smile made her blood run cold. "Not today." He shook his head, as though clearing his mind of something and looked back at her, a serious expression on his face. "There's one thing, though," he said, a faint blush spreading across his cheeks, "You worry me."

"_Me_?"

"Yeah..._you_. You ought not t' be so trustin' of strangers like you was with me," he said, frowning. "They ain't all got th' right motives, if you take my meaning." His blush deepened. "I lied t' you when I said I wanted you t' come with me 'cause you reminded me of my pa' - I just wanted t' watch th' sunrise with a pretty girl...just once..."

She stared at him, bewildered, as he gave her a knowing smirk.

"Get some sleep, Daisy." He walked off down the hallway, leaving her alone.

She lay down, gazing up at the dark barn boards of the ceiling, finally letting herself think about the question she had ignored most of the day. What if this reality was all that was left? What if everything and everyone she'd ever known was gone or changed? What if the only Enos was _this_ Enos - chained forever to a life he despised?


	5. Chapter 5

_"Before the dawn, I hear you whisper_  
><em>in your sleep, "Don't let the morning take him".<em>  
><em>Outside the birds begin to call<em>  
><em>as if to summon up my leaving..."<br>-Judas Priest_

* * *

><p>She was dreaming...<p>

And in this dream, she found herself lost in an immense forest, so dense and deep that the trees seemed to stretch upwards forever, and indeed there seemed to be no sky above her. Beneath her feet was an earthen path, criss-crossed by thick roots that grew up and over the trail, twisted and knotted together so that it was impossible to say which tree they'd come from. Light from an unseen source played upon the ground in intermittent patches, shimmering and shifting in a warm, gentle breeze.

She'd been looking for someone - following him, but he always seemed one step ahead of her, just disappearing around the next corner. She called out to him, and without warning the breeze turned cold - a bitter, biting wind that cut like the blades of a thousand tiny knives, and a murky, boiling darkness arose from the ground, writhing around the trees, devouring them and her, until all was black and silent...

Daisy stirred fitfully, and woke to find Enos kneeling beside her, urging her softly to go back to sleep (though later she would be unable to say if that had truly happened or if she'd merely imagined it). As she settled back into sleep, she fancied she could feel his fingers brushing her hair gently back from her face, and she was sixteen again and in love with the naive, starry eyed boy who had wanted nothing more than to race his car and spend lazy summer days fishing in Hazzard Pond.

Her sleep deepened, shifting into a new dream under a autumn sky of seamless, azure blue... and suddenly he was kissing her, his body pressed against hers in a way that made her want him even closer, and -

Daisy woke with a start, breathing rapidly, as the dream flitted through her conscious mind before fading away.

Her hands shook as she pushed herself up from the pillow and looked around. The house was still and quiet, though noticeably darker than it had been when she'd laid down. Drawing aside the curtains, she saw with relief that the darkness was not from it being late, but from the heavily overcast sky which stretched out above the hills. It had snowed again, the mud from that morning covered in a thin layer of fresh white, and Enos' truck still sat in front of the house where he'd parked it earlier.

She must have slept several hours for the fire had nearly burnt itself out, and there was a chill in the room. Pushing the quilt aside, she got up and added two more logs to the fire, stoking it until it blazed brightly once again. Not sure what to do with herself, Daisy walked down the hallway towards the bathroom, but stopped in front of the bedroom.

She placed her hand against the door, wondering if Enos was still sleeping, but not wanting to knock and wake him. Her heart quickened as her hand closed around the doorknob, not completely sure what her intentions were, and somewhere in the back of her mind a tiny voice assured her that, whatever they were, this was a bad idea. Ignoring it, she turned the knob quietly, cracked open the door, and peeked inside – then opened the door wide. The room was empty, the bed undisturbed.

Confused as to where he could be, she closed the door and went back through the hallway to the empty kitchen. The house was small and without a basement, so it left outside as the only alternative. Figuring he must be doing chores before the snow fell again, she went back into the living room for her coat.

It sat folded on a chair next to the door, exactly as she had left it that morning when they'd gotten back. As she passed the couch, her foot kicked an envelope out from beside it. The letter skittered across the wooden floor, coming to rest beside the woodbox. She picked it up and examined its smooth, white surface. On it was her name, written in Enos' handwriting, and she realized that he must have laid it next to her while she was sleeping. She blushed, remembering her dream.

The back was sealed and inside there was something small and hard. Thinking it odd that he would leave her a note if he hadn't gone anywhere, she carefully tore one end off at the crease and took out the paper. It read:

_"Dear Daisy,_  
><em>The keys to my truck are on the table. Please take it to the Boars' Nest so that you can get your vehicle and leave them with Jerry at the bar.<em>  
><em>Thanks for the sunrise.<em>  
><em>Sincerely,<em>  
><em>Enos<em>  
><em>P.S. I found this ring when I was a kid.<em>  
><em>It has always reminded me of better days. Here's hoping it helps you find what you're looking for.<em>

Daisy upended the envelope, catching the ring in her hand. She looked blankly at it, feeling that there was more to his words than she was grasping. Absently, she slipped it onto the fourth finger of her right hand, its weight comforting in its familiarity.

Why would he have her take his truck into town without him? He'd been the one to lecture her on trusting strangers. She picked up his keys from the table and put them into her pocket. Thoughts that seemed unconnected warred for purchase in her mind, each adding another layer of mystery to the situation at hand. Daisy rubbed her eyes and tried to think. Something kept coming back to her, something Enos had said that she had thought odd...about picking his wife up from his mother's house.

_"...not today..._"

Dread hovered over her, like a black haze. Grabbing her coat, she ran outside.

The day was gray - almost monochromatic with the low-lying clouds blotting out the sun, and even the trees seemed devoid of their colors. She called out Enos' name, but the only reply was the wind, rattling through the dried stalks on the edge of the barren field.

She looked towards the wood-line and then back across the frozen meadow, feeling very alone and lost in this world that was not hers. As in her own life, she'd unquestionably accepted Enos as an anchor here. Regardless of the jumbled mess of emotions that stood between them, he'd always been her protector, never hesitating to think even of his own safety if hers was in question - a knight in shining armor. She'd never known fear as long as he was _somewhere_.

And now...fear consumed her - body and soul. It rose, like bile, leaving a metallic taste in her mouth.

The snow began to fall again, the tiniest of flurries, blown like down on the wind, bringing with it a silence that echoed around and through her - not a respite from sound so much as a finality of all things.

_And here is the end_, she thought, _I'll finally wake up._

But the silence stretched on and on, and she shook not only with the cold, but with a desperate panic. In the valley below the ridge, she could hear the Chattahoochee, rumbling like a high-balling freight train through the foothills of the Blue-Ridge Mountains, and with a horrible certainty, borne of a time when she'd once known a boy named Enos Strate better than she'd known herself at times - Daisy knew where he had gone.

The truck wouldn't start, and it was several attempts later that she remembered to pump the gas first. The road had seen no traffic since this morning. It lay before her - a long, ribbon of unbroken white weaving its way down into the valley. No sooner had she turned onto it, but the snow began to fall in large flakes, obscuring the distance in a white haze. When at last she pulled up in front of the bridge, it was already beginning to accumulate and she knew if she lost any more time, she wouldn't be able to...to...

To _what_? To find him? Was that what she should hope for? Daisy thought perhaps _not_ finding him would put her mind more at ease.

_"Oh Lord," _she prayed_, "please don't let him be here..."_

The bridge loomed before her, an ancient monolith from the days of silver booms and coal mining when the mountains knew money that didn't come from moonshine. It's trusses arched high above, their angular dark wood a stark and visible contrast against the snow and the leaden clouds.

She forced her legs to walk out onto the desolate bridge and over to the railing on the right side where a narrow walkway of old railroad ties, invisible from the road, jutted out from its side. The railing was icy under her hands where the river's spray had frozen, but she barely noticed as she leaned over, her eyes searching the bridge's length in both directions.

Her eyes were drawn down to the river far below her and its water thrashing over the boulders sunk into its depths. She hung her head over as the snow swirled past her, disappearing into the churning vortex, the vibration of the rapids beating against pilings resonating through her body as though the bridge were a mortal, breathing being.

Daisy swallowed against the lump in her throat as the sickening realization hit her that, had he jumped, he would be on the other side of the bridge and not upstream. Her arms and legs felt heavy, as though she were moving though molasses, as she turned around.

In the middle of the bridge stood the boy, his eyes sharp with intensity, but she ignored him and crossed over to the other side. Unlike the turbulent water upstream, the river evened out on this side of the bridge, moving swiftly over the smooth bedrock it had spent centuries polishing.

"Daisy," said the boy, suddenly beside her. "This ain't a place you need t' be."

"Where is he?" Her voice shook. "Is he...is...is he..." The thought was there, but the word would not come.

"Why should it matter?" he asked, confused. "Just like in your world, you aren't tied to him. Nothing binds you to this man."

Tears slipped from her eyes, leaving warm tracks on her cheeks before they dried in the wind.

Her own past mocked her. She had wanted nothing to tie her down - no strings attached to any man. But what had once seemed like freedom she now saw for what it truly was...a prison she'd built with her own hands - a cell from which she would never know respite from loneliness.

She had no rights to him, and if he were to give up on her or if, God forbid, something were to happen to him, she would have gone through her life wasting every moment she had. If he flipped his car over the ridge tomorrow, she knew her life would never be the same.

"No...this is where I _should_ be," she whispered. "This is where I should have been all along...wherever _he_ was."

Daisy looked out across the river, but anything that might be there was lost in the volley of snow. Shapes along the bank that might be human or might only be logs, washed up in the current, were shrouded in a blanket of white.

"Is he out there...somewhere?" she asked, though frightened to hear the answer.

The boy hesitated, as if his answer might shift the very fabric of time itself. At last he replied simply, "Yes."

She ran from the bridge and back out to the road where the sides of the valley sloped steeply down to the water. In the distance, barely visible from her higher vantage point, was a bar where the river turned. Logs washed down from the mountain caught in the eddies there, slamming against each other as the rapids pushed them slowly along the bank. She half ran, half slid down the snowy embankment until she reached the water's edge, and, keeping her eyes fixed ahead where the bar should be, sped along the river towards it.

It was further than she had thought, made even further by the fact that she could no longer see it from the level of the water. Snow, mixed with sleet now, pelted her face, stinging her cheeks like tiny BB's. At last she could hear the hollow sounds of the logs hitting against each other, and dimly before her the shape of the tree emerged which grew at the edge of the bar.

Her foot caught on something, an object more solid than the jumbles of snow-covered flotsam, and she tumbled to the ground. Sitting up, for a moment she could only stare dully at her hands which were so numb from the cold that she could not feel the cuts in her palms from the sharp rocks she had caught herself against. Drops of blood fell brilliant against the white ground. Absently she wiped them off against her jeans as she turned to see what had tripped her.

She screamed.

The sound of her voice shocked her, haunted her, as it echoed through the valley.

He might have been asleep, so peaceful was his face - only his lips were tinted an unnatural shade of blue and a blanket of snow covered him as though the Earth had claimed him for its own. Slowly, she stretched out her hand and touched his cheek.

Whether the action itself held a sort of magic, borne out by this mysterious realm she had found herself thrust into, she didn't know. Like a sunrise over a land engulfed for so long in an endless night, memories of their past shimmered and flared, burning like astrals in her mind's eye, and suddenly she could _feel_ again - the pain that came at seeing his sorrow after his father died; the quickening of her heart at the warmth in his eyes; the closeness they had once shared as children. All stripped away, not by time, but by foolish misunderstandings.

It was then that she realized that she _had_ been running away. Instead of righting the wrongs she'd perpetuated between the two of them, she'd chosen to forget him instead. She'd given her heart away to anyone who would take it because it always seemed to be searching for something - had sought to pacify it with physical love when it had been crying out for something deeper, for the love which had been in front of her all along.

Cold and snow forgotten, she moved closer, rolling him over so that his shoulders rested on her lap, and cradled him in her arms as she buried her face against his hair.

"Enos...," she sobbed, "I swear to you, if I had it all to do over again...I'd never let you go." She kissed his temple, his skin as cold ice against her lips, and shut her eyes against the tears. "I love you, Enos Strate..."

There was a sound. A short, hollow sound. She ignored it at first , assuming it was logs along the river. But the sound came again and again, a repetitive knocking sound and her mind recalled a poem where a bird...a raven...a harbinger of death, had been tapping at the window lattice...

_...distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December..._

And a name - as though whispered on the wind, by a voice she would never hear again. _Her name...his voice._ His voice saying her name, sweeter than the honeysuckle that grew up along the fence line on the back 40 that no longer existed... and she wept even harder at that thought.

But the sound persisted, and at last she raised her head and opened her eyes. The world tilted - disoriented, and then righted itself, and she was sitting in Dixie, the snowflakes falling silently on the cracked windshield in front of her. The tapping came again and she turned and looked stupidly at the window, too dumbstruck to understand anything other than it had something to do with the noise.

"Daisy?"

His voice, outside the window.

"Daisy? Are you alright? Daisy, _please_, th' door's locked!"

She pulled the lever to open the door, automatically unlocking it, and pushed. Now unlocked, Enos pulled it open, his eyes wide with concern.

"Oh my gosh, Daisy! You done gave me about th' worst fright I've ever had. Are you alright? You didn't hit your head, didja?"

For a second she could only stare at him, in limbo between one reality and the other, not fully convinced which was real and which one was the dream. The image of Enos, lying dead in the snow, still burned behind her retinas.

"Enos?" she asked, weakly.

She tried to climb out of the Jeep, but her foot slipped off the edge of the door and she would have fallen if he hadn't of caught her, holding her tightly for only as long as was necessary to lift her out and set her feet on solid ground. He let go, but she still clutched his arms, feeling warmth beneath her fingers, even through his coat. She took his face in her hands, oblivious to his surprise at the desperateness of her touch - not gentle, but firm as though feeling to make sure he was not a figment of her imagination.

"Enos," her voice cracked with emotion. "Enos...who am I?"

His face clouded in concern. "Daisy, did you hit your head? Maybe I oughta call Doc Applby." He looked around at the snow which was falling rapidly. "I don't know if he's gonna be able t' get out..."

Enos stopped as Daisy found his left hand and inspected it, mumbling something that sounded distinctly like _"Thank God..._" before she fainted dead away.

* * *

><p><em>AN: The poem is The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe_


	6. Chapter 6

_"It's the heart, afraid of breaking,_ _that never learns to dance._  
><em>It's the dream, afraid of waking,<em> _that never takes the chance._  
><em>It's the one who won't be taken<em>, _who cannot seem to give,_  
><em>and the soul, afraid of dying<em>, _that never learns to live..."_  
><em>-Amanda McBroom<em>

* * *

><p>From outside the gray nothingness of unconscious slumber, a familiar scent - masculine, of after-shave with slight undertones of mimeograph ink and printing paper drifted across Daisy's senses. There was a soft brush of fabric against her cheek and she turned, burying her face against it and its warmth.<p>

* * *

><p>When at last she opened her eyes, Daisy might have been convinced the whole day had been a dream were it not for a slightly overwhelming number of people gathered around her bed, their faces anxiously peering down at her. Doc Applby sat on at the edge beside her, his careworn face focused intently on hers, his eyes and mind sharper than tacks despite his advanced age. A strong odor of ammonia lingered in the air, indicative of smelling salts.<p>

She cast a glance about the room. Bo, Luke, Uncle Jesse, and Cooter each wore an expression somewhere between worry and happiness, but her eyes were drawn to the deputy standing quietly against the back wall. Instead of the effervescent cheerfulness she would have normally expected, Enos' face was pensive and quiet, and the way he was watching her made her heart quicken. As curious as she was about his expression, it would have to wait.

"Hey there, Doc," she said, contritely, "I'm so sorry you had t' make a trip out here on account of me."

The older man patted her hand. "Now, Daisy, that's my job," he reminded her, gently, "sides, it got me out of eatin' my sister in law's fruitcake, so I'm more apt to be thankin' _you_." He gave her a kindly wink. "How are you feelin'?"

Daisy took a deep breath and did a quick mental check of the rest of her, still dressed in her clothes from earlier, but under a warm blanket. "I think I'm fine."

"No headache or dizziness?" She shook her head. "Any nausea, tingling feelings, blurry vision?"

"No, sir, I'm alright. I just...I had a weird dream after I hit th' tree, an'..."

There was something else...something on the edge of her mind that felt important. She racked her brain, trying to separate reality from the dream. She thought back to the beginning of that day...the _real_ day. She'd left the Boar's Nest early because of the snow...Enos had left, and she'd counted down the till...suddenly it all came back to her in a rush that stole her breath away. Anger flashed in her eyes as she looked up at Uncle Jesse.

"Uncle Jesse," she started, her voice a mix of vitriol and worry, "Boss said I stole five hundred dollars from th' Boars' Nest, an' he said if I didn't pay him back he was gonna take th' farm! Uncle Jesse I swear I didn't take anything! That low down, mean, conniving old, s-"

"It's alright, Daisy," Enos interrupted her. He turned to Uncle Jesse. "It was just a misunderstandin', Uncle Jesse. It's all cleared up now."

Daisy stared at him. Though Enos had been known to stand up for any Duke against Boss and Rosco, few and far between were the times they'd actually listened to him. For him to be acting like it was nothing important made her wonder just what in the world had happened.

Doc turned to look behind him "How long would you say she was out, Enos?"

"Well, she came to for a second while I was carrying her to th' car, but then she just went right t' sleep," he explained, "I didn't know whether I should try an' wake her or not, so I sent Cooter t' pick you up an' headed straight here."

"You did fine, Enos," he assured him before turning back to Daisy. "I didn't find any bumps on your head from the accident, so I'm not too worried about your faintin' spell, but I suspect you're in need of some time off, young lady. There ain't nothin' wrong with slowin' down an' takin' it easy ever now an' then."

Daisy grinned at him. "Yes, sir."

"I'm gonna go on home now," he said, patting her hand again. "You'll be in good hands here, I'm sure."

"Thank you, Doctor," she said, giving him a hug, "an' tell your wife Merry Christmas for us."

"I surely will, Daisy." He stood up and turned towards the others. "Cooter, if you don't mind, I'll need you t' drop me back home."

"No problem, Doc, I gotta git anyway." Cooter looked over at Daisy. "I've still gotta pick Dixie up an' take her back by th' shop," he told her. "It'll probably be late t'morrow for I get time t' take a look at her, though."

"Don't worry about it, Cooter, it's Christmas."

He ruffled her hair on his way by her. "You take it easy, kiddo."

Uncle Jesse came and took a seat beside her on the bed. Daisy looked up at him sheepishly. "I'm sorry, Uncle Jesse, I didn't mean t' worry you."

"I know you didn't, baby," he said, giving her a hug. " but now...you just take it easy like th' Doc said."

"I will."

He smiled proudly at her before he got up and left, motioning for the others to follow him and leave her alone.

"You heard th' Doc," Bo warned, "me an' Luke'll be watchin' you like a hawk t' make sure you ain't workin' too hard."

"Does this mean you're doin' th' dishes for me?"

He grinned. "That's Luke's job."

Luke whacked him upside the head. "You heard him, Daisy. Take it easy," he told her.

She watched them as they left her room until there was only Enos left, and it surprised her that it was him who had hung back while the others filed out first. She'd thought being in her room would have made him the first out the door after the doctor but, although his fingers were engaged in their normal worrying at the brim of the hat they held, his face itself seemed...well, maybe not _calm_, but certainly more thoughtful than nervous for a change. There were questions in his eyes, and for some reason that made her a bit nervous herself.

"Hey Enos," she said, softly, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean t' take a nap on ya'."

"Shoot, Daisy, that's alright," he said, easily enough, "I'm just glad you ain't hurt. I was worried you'd hit your head or somethin'." He was quiet for a moment, looking around the room.

"What?" she asked him.

He looked back at her. "Huh?"

"You look like you're lookin' for somethin'."

"No, I was just...thinkin'. You know, last time I's in this room, Uncle Jesse said he'd tan my hide if he ever saw me here again."

When he was thirteen and she eleven, they'd been in here looking at Luke's car magazines, but Uncle Jesse hadn't been especially keen on a teenage boy being in her room, even if it was just Enos.

She laughed. "I think you'll get a pass this time. Hey, what happened with Boss and Rosco?"

"I'll tell ya' later," he said, evading the subject. "I'd best let you rest."

Daisy's heart skipped a beat as he turned to go. "Enos, wait."

He stopped and turned back towards her.

"Don't go back home tonight. It's...it's snowy, an' it'd probably be safer if you stayed here."

"I gotta go in at eleven t'morrow for a couple hours before we shut down for th' day," he said. "'Sides, th' snow's turned t' rain now. It's s'posed to clear up an' be in th' 50's again by th' mornin'. Don't that beat all?"

She wasn't sure if he was saying "no" or just trying to find an excuse for her to drop it. "Yeah, but it's late an' if you go back t' town, we won't see ya' till supper tomorrow," she complained. "It'd be nice if you were here when I wake up." His eyes widened. "I mean...here at th' _farm_...when it's morning...um, earlier than supper." She could feel the redness creeping into her cheeks.

He looked at her warily, as though he was maybe not convinced that she didn't have something wrong with her head after all, but then shrugged. "Don't worry, Daisy, Uncle Jesse already convinced me t' stay. Thanks though."

"Oh. Well that's good."

"Night, Daisy," he said, giving her a slight smile and heading to the door.

"Night, Enos," she answered. "Hey - "

He turned once more. "Hmm?"

"Thanks for takin' care of me."

His smile grew larger, lighting his eyes. "You're welcome, Daisy."

And then he was gone, out the door, pulling it shut behind him.

The clock read eight thirty-six, earlier than she normally went to bed, but as she changed out of her regular clothes, a plan began to spin it's web through her mind. Picking up the clock, she set the alarm for 2:00 am, then crawled under the covers and turned out the lamp. She wasn't sure she'd be able to sleep, not with all that had happened - or that had_ seemed_ to have happened that day, but sleep found her in the middle of worrying over it.

* * *

><p>The room was pitch black when the blaring alarm clock woke her, and she scrambled to shut it off before anyone else heard it. She dressed warmly and, after taking a flashlight from the drawer of her nightstand, she unlatched the window and pulled it up. Damp, cold air rushed in and she wished it were spring or summer - even with her coat she would be chilled to the bone at this rate before she ever got moving. She ducked under the glass and climbed down into the yard, pulling the window shut behind her.<p>

Enos had been right, the snow had stopped and now a light rain was falling. The eaves dripped steadily from where the roof overhung the side of the house, the water freezing on the ground into strange stalagmites that reminded her unsettlingly of fingers poking up through the snow. She took the flashlight out and turned it on, shining it out across the field, the mist of rain visible in the beams of light. Most of the snow had already melted.

She walked around to the western side of the house, giving Uncle Jesse's window a wide berth, and stopped at the second window, her hand sweaty as it held the flashlight despite the cold and her heart beating fiercely in her chest. Either this was going to work, or she was going to make sure Enos thought she was certifiably crazy. Before she had time to think through it enough to change her mind, she raised her hand and knocked on the window.

She waited. Nothing. She tried again...and again. On her fourth attempt, she resolved to wait ten seconds and then just go back to bed, when the curtains pulled back.

"Hey," she called softly through the glass, "open th' window."

There was a soft scrape as the clasp was drawn back and then the window slid up. She shined the light into the room, and Enos threw his hand up to shade his eyes.

"What th' heck are you doin'?" he demanded. "You scared about ten years offa my life!"

"Hey," she whispered, "get dressed an' come on."

"Why," he asked, a touch of worry in his voice, "What's wrong?"

"Nothin's wrong. I need t' go somewhere, an' I need you t' come with me."

He didn't answer and she wondered just how hard he was going to make this. She flicked the light back up to his face.

"Look, Daisy," he said, squinting, "as much as I'd like t' come with ya'...it's..." He looked away for a second. "It's two o'clock, an' th' doc said you were s'posed t' be takin' it easy. I don't think he meant gettin' up an' goin' somewhere in th' middle of th' night."

If she'd showed up at any _other_ guy's window in the middle of the night and asked them to come with her, she knew she wouldn't have to ask twice, and for a second his words actually hurt her feelings before she convinced herself that it was nothing personal - just Enos being Enos. She supposed that was part of the charm that he'd always held over her - he certainly wasn't just any other guy.

"Exactly," she agreed, "so you can be my chaperone."

He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "I don't know, Daisy."

"Fine," she bluffed, shrugging her shoulders, "I'll just go by myself. Go on back t' bed." She turned her back on him and the window.

"Alright," he sighed. "Hold on, I'm comin'...an' turn off that dang light before ya' wake up everyone else."

Five minutes later he climbed though the window, still dressed in the white t-shirt he'd slept in, but the sweatpants had been replaced with the pants from his uniform and he'd grabbed the quilt-lined denim coat from the closet in the spare room.

"Come on," she said, motioning him to follow her around to the front on the house, "we've got just enough time t' get there."

"Now, just hold on a minute," he said, unmoving, "where th' heck are we goin'?"

"I can't tell you."

An uneasy look crossed his face. ""Why not? You know, maybe Doc's right, Daisy," he said, carefully, "You seem a little out of sorts."

"Nonsense, Enos, I'm perfectly fine," she assured him. "In fact, I've never felt better. Now, it's a long drive an' if we don't get there in time, it'll ruin th' whole thing, so... are you comin' or not?"

For a moment, he seemed lost, standing there in the vague and hazy glow of her flashlight, caught between wanting to go with her and wanting to protect her. She was afraid he'd choose the latter.

"Yeah, alright," he said, finally, "but if you start feelin' light-headed or anything, you let me know."

"I will, I promise." She grabbed his arm and pulled him after her, towards the truck. "Now, come on, time's a waistin'."

* * *

><p>Enos' patrol car was blocking the truck in from behind, so Daisy drove around the barn and then swung it up onto the driveway. Uncle Jesse was sure to hear the engine, and maybe Bo and Luke as well, but it didn't matter - they wouldn't know where she was going. It was purely coincidental that she knew the way herself, having been there only once (unless you counted in a dream), but it was a route the boys had taken back when they were running shine and she'd made a habit of knowing it.<p>

She thought Enos would have said something when they turned out onto Old Mill Road, but he gazed quietly out the window, lost in his own thoughts. It struck her as odd - usually when he was nervous he yammered on constantly about nothing, and his silence was somewhat unsettling. She supposed he could just be tired, Rosco had only agreed to give him Christmas evening off if he'd pulled fourteen hour shifts the week before, but it wasn't until she drove through town without stopping and pulled onto Highway 76 North, just outside Colonial City, that he finally spoke.

"So...," he began, "why ain't I s'posed t' know where we're goin'?"

For a moment she thought about making something up that would be believable, but ditched the idea - that had been how this whole mess between them had started in the first place. He'd always known when she was lying anyway, regardless of whether he'd ever called her out on it. She had seen it in his eyes every time she'd set him up or baited him away his duties to give her cousins a chance to escape from Boss and Rosco's clutches. He would play the part of naive, clueless deputy to a fault, but she always got the feeling he knew damn well exactly what she was doing.

"I wasn't sure you'd come with me," she said, honestly. "Just think of it as a surprise. You look tired, sugar. It's a long trip so you oughta get some sleep."

She turned the dial on the truck's radio until soft Christmas music filled the cab, and in the dark she heard Enos sigh.

"I s'pose," he answered, "but you wake me up if you start feelin' sick or somethin'." He stripped off his coat and folded it under his head which he leaned against the side window.

The next hour passed without interruption as he dozed, giving her too much time to think about the two of them. It wasn't just that she wanted to share that part of her dream with the _real_ Enos, but that she wanted to get him far enough away that he would be forced to talk to her. There were too many excuses within shouting distance of Hazzard and it would be too easy for him to wheedle out of any serious conversations.

And besides, she kind of thought of it as _their_ place.

Two voices argued in her head - one the voice of reason, asking her what in the world she thought she was doing. Stick with the status-quo, it urged. The other was the voice of her heart which had not been able to shake the memory of holding Enos' cold and lifeless body on the banks of the raging Chattahoochee. She didn't know what she would do or say once they got where they were going, all she knew was that she needed to say _something_.

Enos woke just as she was turning off onto Highway 30. In the dim light from the truck's dash panel, she saw him turn swiftly to look at her, but then he turned back without a word. As the Enos of her dream had done, she swung the truck wide and turned, parking on the gravel roadside just in front of the overlook. It was still dark, but a lighter gray hung on the horizon, obscuring the stars which had already begun to fade.

Daisy looked over at Enos, his features just visible in the gloom, hoping he couldn't sense her anxiety.

"You coulda just told me where you were goin'," he said, softly, "I woulda come."

She swallowed against the lump in her throat. "Sorry, I...I just, I need t' talk to you about somethin'. I figured you'd find an excuse not t' stick around in Hazzard. Besides, this place has the prettiest sunrise in the South."

"I reckon I need t' tell you somethin', too, anyway." He shrugged on his coat and opened the passenger's door. "Come on, th' sun'll be comin' up soon."

Daisy hesitated, wary of his uncharacteristically aloof demeanor and what he could possibly want to talk to _her_ about. His shadow passed around the truck and there was a muffled thud as he hopped up to sit on the hood. She opened her door and followed, taking a seat beside him, the heat from the truck's engine warming her despite the chilly air. Absently, she thought it was a much better (and safer) vantage point than the edge of the cliff had been.

"What was your dream about?"

She turned to him, startled by the unexpected question. "Huh?"

He looked down at his fingers which had resumed somewhat their normal fidgeting. "You told Doc you had a strange dream...before I found you. I just wondered what it was, is all."

"Oh." She couldn't tell him _that_, could she? He'd take her straight back to Doc Applby and insist she'd cracked her head. "Well, I...I dreamed I was in Hazzard, but everything was different. Boss had taken over th' town, and no one knew who I was. No one was doin' what they were supposed t' be doin'. Uncle Jesse and th' boys were gone..."

"How 'bout me? Was I still workin' too long for no pay?"

"I guess so," she replied. "You were a moonshiner."

He laughed. "I reckon I wouldn't know how t' make moonshine if they put th' instructions on th' back of my cereal box."

"I didn't say you were very good at it," she said, with a grin.

"So..that's it?" he asked, seriously. "Before you passed out, you were actin' like you'd seen a ghost."

_More than you know_, she thought to herself. "No," she said, quietly, "there was more, but...well...it wasn't really a good dream, in fact t' be honest it was downright scary, an' I don't really want t' talk about it."

Enos glanced back up at her. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine. It was just...it was so _real_..." She shook her head. "Anyway, what was it you were wantin' t' tell me?"

He looked back across the cliff towards the mountains, now faintly visible in the early morning mist. The horizon was tinged with the soft hues of pink. "The LAPD called me the other day," he said. "They offered me a position as an officer in their Major Crimes Division. It'd be a big step up from where I was before."

The hills seemed to close in around Daisy, as though the air itself was poisonous and suffocating. _"Tell him!" _her heart screamed._ "Tell him you love him and that he can't go...tell him he can't leave you again..."_

"That's...that's great, Enos," she said instead, the words tasting like grit in her mouth. "A good opportunity...you deserve it." Her heart broke, knowing that it was the wrong thing to say...she'd _always_ said the wrong thing.

She looked up, expecting to see sadness in his eyes, and was instead taken aback by the raw anger there.

"I reckon if I live a million years, Daisy Duke, I'll never understand you." He jumped down from the truck and walked away from her, towards the railing overlooking the valley.

Daisy, stunned, watched him go, feeling acutely out of her element. Something had happened - something between him leaving the Boar's Nest and her waking up in her room. She couldn't for the life of her decipher what it could be since most of the time she'd been with him she'd been passed out. He'd told the doc that she'd awakened briefly but, try as she might, she remembered nothing after him helping her out of Dixie.

She slid down from the truck to follow him, but he turned before she could ask him what was wrong.

"You can't say it, can ya'?" he asked, disbelief evident in his voice. "I 'spect it wouldn't matter if I said I was leavin' t' China, would it? You'd still never say it."

He surely couldn't be talking about what it might _seem_ he was talking about, could he? She could scarcely believe that after all the years of tip-toeing around each other, they were finally going to talk about something more in depth than the time of day or the prospects of the weather, and that of all people it would be Enos who would bring it up.

"Say _what_?" she demanded. "How am I s'posed t' know what t' say to someone who's afraid to stand closer than six feet away from me?.!"

As if in defiance of her statement, Enos stepped forward, closing the distance between them to stand directly in front of her. "How come you can tell me when you're dreamin', but you can't say it to my face?"

)()()()(

_He caught her as she fainted, before she could fall, and knowing he couldn't simply lie her on the ground, had scooped her up in his arms without giving it another thought. Holding her closely in the quiet brush of falling snow, the chill of winter melted away into a pristine summer day as Enos let himself remember... _

_He would have been no older than fourteen or fifteen because it had been before the Academy, and before he had considered himself an orphan for all intensive purposes. The two of them had been down at Hazzard pond, where both had wiled away countless hours of their childhoods, but the day had taken a turn when she'd stepped on a bee. He'd carried her the two miles back to the farm, though he remembered blurrily that he'd not been a perfect gentleman and had in fact told her she deserved as much, running around with no shoes in the middle of a clover patch. _

_As always when Enos thought of his and Daisy's past, there was the remainder of something deeper – a richness that through the years had dulled – like a piece of chrome, left to weather the elements until it's former brilliance seemed as lusterless as plastic. He had shied away from any physical closeness, not because he felt less for her than he had twenty years before, nor for the sake of embarrassment, but because he feared it was a door that, once open, he would never be able to close again. He had never held with the idea that it was better to have loved and lost – better to not go down that road in the first place. And yet, for all her dalliances with other men and her superficial play-acting with him, he could never shake the memory of how close they had once been and the hope that someday - somehow, she would remember, too._

_He started towards his patrol car, warring with himself as to whether he should just sit with her in the car until she woke up or whether he should go ahead and drive her home, when she stirred and her eyes fluttered open briefly. She looked up, her gaze unfocused, as though she were seeing something far behind him. With a sigh, she closed them again, nestling against his shoulder as the words fell from her lips – not in the slurred voice of half-sleep nor as the whisper of a secret, but clear as crystal and in a tone more honest and heart-felt than he'd ever heard before:_

_"I love you, Enos."_

_He nearly dropped her._

_"Daisy?" he murmured quietly, suddenly unsure of whether he hoped she was awake or asleep. _

_There was no answer, and her body lay slack and still in his arms, wrapped in the sleep from which she would awaken later in her own bedroom. _

_Alone and unobserved, Enos pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead._

_"I love you, too, Daisy Mae."_

)()()()(

For a moment, Daisy could only stare at him, speechless. _When you're dreaming..._ Lord Almighty, what had she _said_? She felt the heat rise in her cheeks as he waited for her answer, his hazel eyes never leaving hers - all trace of naivety and shyness fled, blotted out by a knowledge he possessed that she did not.

"W..what did I say?" she whispered.

His eyes narrowed suspiciously, as if trying to divine whether or not she truly didn't know. "What do ya' think you _might_ have said?"

_In a dream.._. and suddenly, she had a burning question of her own - the pivotal difference between him and the Enos of her dream. "Why'd you come back?" she asked, instead. "When your mother took off with you after your dad died, why'd you make her stop? Why'd you come back to Hazzard?"

Enos' look switched to one of confusion. "What's _that_ got t' do with th' price of eggs?"

"Cause there are things _you've_ never told _me_, either," she answered, softly.

For a long moment, he said nothing, and they simply stared at each other face to face- each realizing that they stood at the razor's edge of their own destinies. A last moment to laugh and say _"I'm just kidding_", but neither said a word.

"You know why I came back," he said, finally, his voice barely above a whisper.

"No," she said, shaking her head, "I don't. You never talked about it."

He closed his eyes and sighed deeply, and she knew he was remembering that day. A day that had changed his life forever. He'd come back home and Sheriff Harris had convinced him to take his high-school equivalency test at sixteen instead of graduating and enter the Police Academy in Atlanta. At last he opened his eyes and looked down at her.

"The only thing I could think about was that every mile she drove took me further away from you," he told her. "And th' thought of never seein' you again was more than I could stand."

_ If I'd only known_...thought Daisy - but she hadn't. Neither of them had had enough courage to say the things that needed to be said, and over time the silence had worn away at the bond between them, leaving a deep and bottomless chasm until they had suddenly found themselves on separate sides of a great divide with no idea how to bridge the gap.

It came without warning, the torrent of memories, and with them an ache for what _had_ been and what _could have_ been. Daisy felt the tears coming, like a tidal wave that threatened to drown her, and as much as she didn't want to cry - not _here_, not _now_, there was nothing she could do to stop it. Instead she closed her eyes tight against them, wishing them away and yet feeling somehow freed as they spilled from her.

She felt Enos step closer, until she could feel the warmth of him next to her in the cold air, could feel his fingers against her cheek as he gently wiped away her tears, and her heart skipped a beat with the realization that he was touching her of his own free will.

"Don't cry, Daisy," he whispered.

"I'm sorry," she cried, "I'm so sorry..."

"I don't...understand."

She took his face in her hands, feeling the warmth of his skin beneath her fingers - how real he was, how _alive_... "I'm sorry I never told you how much I loved you," she said. Her eyes captured his, willing him to believe her. "For as long as I've known you, Enos, I have _always_ loved you."

She embraced him with such force that he was obliged to take a step back to keep his balance before he wrapped his own arms around her.

"I don't want you t' go," she pleaded, her voice muffled against his chest, "I don't want you t' leave me again. I know I ain't got any right to ask you to stay, but..."

She felt his chest move, with laughter or tears she wasn't sure until he spoke, his breath warm against her hair.

"I told 'em no, Daisy."

She raised her head to look at him, and though his eyes were suspiciously damp, there was a depth of joy dancing behind them that she hadn't seen in more years than she could recall.

"Really?" she asked, bewildered. "But...why?"

He laughed. "_Why?_ 'Cause I was miserable in LA. You wanna ask me a question? Ask me why I quit th' LAPD an' came back t' Hazzard where Rosco treats me like second fiddle t' Flash, an' Boss spends his free time tryin' t' figure out how t' fire me."

His grin was contagious and Daisy wiped the last of her tears away, thinking that she _had_ wondered that, but he had never acted any differently towards her when he'd come back than he had before he'd left. Sure, they'd gone on 'dates' that weren't really - she'd stuck to safely mundane and superficial topics and she supposed in hindsight he'd probably wondered why she'd agreed to go out with him in the first place. No, they'd had more the flavor of two people going to the library to work on a school project together than two people who might be in love with each other. _Running away_...she'd been running away, even then.

"Why'd you come back?" she asked, needing to hear him say it.

He sighed deeply. "Because I missed you. Terribly." He shook his head. "I can't help it, you know. I _tried_. It's th' reason I left Hazzard in the first place. I didn't _want_ t' be in love with you anymore, Daisy."

The truth stung, because it was something she hadn't expected him to say, and it only served to reveal just how much she had hurt him that he had actually left the place she knew he loved to try and forget her.

"I don't know," he continued, "I reckon maybe if I'd just met you in school when we were older, I would've been able to, but...I can't even _remember_ a time before I knew you. We were both so young when my pa' started runnin' shine with Uncle Jesse. I was only three or four. We just...we just-"

"We just always _were_," she finished, giving him a sad smile. "You and me, against th' world."

He laughed softly, remembering all the scrapes they'd gotten into when they were younger. "Yeah."

"I miss those days."

"Me too."

_ Explain what you want.._. She gave him a meaningful look. "But I want _more_...," she murmured.

A smile played at the corner of his mouth as he gave her a chaste kiss on her forehead.

She grinned, knowing he was teasing her. "More than_ that._.."

He leaned over and kissed her cheek.

"Huh uh."

His eyes, full of mischief, met hers. "You know, I was thinkin', maybe we need another twenty years t' think about-"

That was as far as he got before she kissed him.

He tightened his arms around her and kissed her back - not in the shy, awkward way at the pond after she'd asked him to marry her, but with all his heart. His hands moved up her back, tangling in her hair as their kiss deepened.

Suddenly, the world outside Daisy's closed eyes suffused with a brilliant, blinding, golden light, and she felt Enos laugh as he broke their kiss.

"You're missin' your sunrise," he said, softly, resting his forehead against hers.

She wrapped her arms around him inside his coat and lay her head against his chest as they stood, watching the mountains blaze to life. "Doesn't matter," she said, hugging him tight. "This is better."


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N: Thanks so much for all the readers who have stuck with this story. It was originally meant to be more of a one-shot, but apparently I can't write short stories. It's coming to a close soon, though. _

_Also, a huge, heart-felt thank you to everyone who has reviewed, and especially those of you who review every chapter. I love to hear what readers think about the characters/situations. It keeps me on-track and focused and every last one of them is sincerely appreciated._

* * *

><p><em>"We may only have tonight,<br>but 'till the morning sun, you're mine - all mine.  
>Play the music low<br>and sway to the rhythm of love..."  
>-Plain White T's<br>_

* * *

><p>They stood side by side as the sun finished rising, wending its way up over the lake until it was framed by the peaks of the distant mountains. The shadows of night burned away in the golden rays of a new morning - and yet, Daisy could not fully appreciate its beauty. Her heart beat faster against her ribs, spelling out its worry over what had seemed so perfect mere minutes before.<p>

_It was too easy,_ she told herself_, too easy, too sudden, and when I turn, he'll look away. Somehow, I've messed this up, too, and he'll leave and go back to LA and maybe he doesn't want me anymore after all." _

"Daisy?" He spoke her name softly, disturbing her train of self-depreciating thought.

In his voice she thought she heard a trace of uncertainty, and so she kept her gaze locked on the mountains, not wanting to see the doubt she believed must be in his eyes.

"Yeah?" She answered, in kind.

"Why'd you bring me here?"

She frowned in confusion, having expected an apology or an excuse to leave, not a pointed question. Sparing a glance in his direction, she noted with a flood of relief that curiosity, and a trace of something else that she couldn't quite identify, were the only emotions coloring his features.

She met his eyes, a slight smile on her lips. "'Cause this is _our_ place," she said quietly.

Enos pondered her answer for a moment before shaking his head. "That ain't quite what I meant."

He hesitated, perhaps not because he didn't know _what_ to say, thought Daisy, but because he might have been in the habit of saying _nothing_ for so long that speaking his mind had become a foreign thing to him. Thoughts of Enos, locked in his own personal prison sprung to mind, not so unlike the one she had discovered she'd built for herself. Perhaps a little gentle prodding was in order.

"What _did_ you mean?"

He sighed deeply before he spoke, and when he finally found his voice again, the words were rushed and hurried, as she'd heard him speak to her so many times before of anything more personal than the weather or farming or any other innately safe subject.

"You were gonna tell me somethin'...," he reminded her. "You woke me up an' drove three hours from Hazzard t' tell me somethin', an' don't tell me ya' didn't plan it out 'cause I heard your alarm." He didn't say it but his eyes conveyed a last unspoken thought...that he would know if she lied to him.

She shook her head, her eyes never leaving his. "Honestly? I hadn't figured out _what_ I was gonna say before you told me you'd gotten a call from th' LAPD."

"You brought me here before I said that. You musta had some idea of _why_ ya' did."

Daisy turned, stepping closer to him - close enough to feel the warmth radiating from him in the chill of the December air. She reached out and clasped his hands, noting the slight roughness of his fingers as they entwined with hers.

"I was going to tell you I was sorry..." He looked down, away from her, and she continued quickly. "Sorry for not bein' there for you when you needed me." Warm tears stung her eyes and he raised his gaze again to hers, obviously surprised by her words.

"Daisy, you've always been there when I needed help. You Dukes have always had my back, even if I couldn't help y'all out much without going against my sworn duty. Heck, Daisy, you even offered t' marry me t' keep me outta jail."

She frowned, realizing he still believed it was nothing more than that. "I would've married you anyway," she countered.

He held her gaze silently for a moment. "I know you would've," he said, softly, "but it wouldn't've been..._right._"

_Right. And what was right, _she wondered briefly_. Would he believe her now?_

"I didn't say we weren't there when you needed our help. I said I was sorry that I wasn't there when _you_ needed _me_..." She let her voice drop lower, until she barely more than whispered, "Surely there've been times when you ain't been wearin' a badge when you've felt like you needed me." He swallowed nervously and his skin flushed, but to her relief he made no move to pull away.

"I think...," he said, slowly, "I think you'd best let me put a ring on your finger before we talk about that."

She could feel his pulse slightly through their joined hands and wondered if he could feel hers quicken at his words. "Are you offerin' one?" she asked, lightly, in case he wasn't serious.

He stared at her, obviously indecisive, debating internally on which path to take until he finally reached some unseen conclusion. "You know," he said, frowning at her, "I already gave ya' one. You just keep wearin' it on th' wrong hand." He released her left hand and caught her right in both of his.

"Th' wrong hand, huh?" she teased, her eyes sparkling as he slid the ring that she'd worn since high school off her finger. "You never mentioned it before."

"Well, I would've said somethin' th' first time I saw you wearin' it, but I figured you'd hit me with th' fryin' pan you were washin' at th' time."

"I wish you had," she said, sadly. "I didn't know how you felt until...until I'd already made a mess of things, and then I didn't know what t' say. And after you graduated an' came back home, you seemed...well...scared of me."

His eyes slid from her face, to some point beyond her as he examined her words. "I reckon it might seem that way," he admitted. "So..." He held up the ring, shifting the subject back on track. "Which hand?"

Daisy grinned. "Well, I'd say th' left, but it won't fit." She held out her left hand as he slid it onto the fourth finger, but it was too large to stay on.

"Hmm... It's a good thing I kept th' other one." He placed the ring back on her right hand before looking up at her, suddenly serious. "Daisy, are you...are you sure this is what you want?"

She met his eyes, and Enos held her gaze, somewhat reluctantly, as though he were afraid to hear the answer to his question.

"You don't believe me?"

He looked down, the familiar reticence gracing his features, and she knew he would be fidgeting if he wasn't holding her hands.

"I just...well, what I mean t' say is... if you're gonna change your mind, I'd rather ya' do it now than later is all."

She smiled sadly, suddenly understanding that it wasn't he didn't believe her, nor was it because this was not what_ he_ wanted, but that he'd grown up having had everything he'd ever loved yanked out from under him, one after another. She suspected he was giving her another way out - just like the hives before their wedding. Making sure...pushing her away from himself to stop her from possibly breaking his heart.

They'd _both_ been running away from each other.

Her hands released his to cup his face instead, feeling the light stubble against her skin.

"I want t' marry you, Enos Strate, because I _love_ you. And there ain't nothin' gonna change my mind about it...how 'bout _you_?"

He smiled down at her. "My mind was made up a long time ago," he vowed, and sealed it with a kiss.

* * *

><p>Enos insisted on driving them back home, and eventually the early morning sunshine, mixed with the gentle rhythm of the tires against the asphalt and the weight of a burden gone, lulled Daisy to sleep. When she awoke, they were already pulling into Hazzard, the town uncommonly deserted being that it was Christmas morning.<p>

Daisy raised her head from where it had rested against the passenger door and glanced at her watch. Her first thought was that the battery must be getting low and the time was off, but the analog clock on the dashboard of the truck seconded what it had said. How in thunder had Enos gotten them back to Hazzard in just a little over two hours? It had taken nearly three for _her_ to get there.

"Merry Christmas, Daisy," he said, grinning over at her. "Good thing you went t' sleep, ya' know Santa won't come unless he knows you're sleepin.'"

She snorted. "I s'pose that means you're gettin' nothin'," she reminded him. "How fast were you goin'? Did you speed? We're not s'posed t' be here already."

"I got my present early," he assured her, "an' I took a shortcut...an'...I _might_ have had other things on my mind than how fast I's goin'."

"Apparently."

"Uh...Daisy, I've been thinkin' -"

"-you know that just gets you in trouble-"

He flashed her a look before he continued. "What if Uncle Jesse an' th' boys don't believe you?"

"So?"

"_So?_ That's it - just _'so_'?"

She shrugged. "I'm sorry don't have a better answer for ya', sugar. Don't worry about it. They'll see us t'gether and get used to it. It's not like we're springin' it on them an' gettin' married t'morrow."

Not like last time when she'd told them point blank that she was marrying him to keep him from going to prison, she thought to herself. She could see in hindsight why they had been so dead set against it, especially since they hadn't known her heart. This time she'd give them plenty of time to get used to the idea, not that she saw anything wrong with getting hitched quickly, but she guessed it would be better for everyone else in the long run.

* * *

><p>Daisy wasn't prepared to see Uncle Jesse waiting for her on the porch swing. The mere sight triggered an instinctively physical reaction of queasiness and sweaty palms. She suddenly felt as though she were seventeen again and had come home way too late from a date.<p>

"I think I'm in trouble," she murmured.

"Well, just tell him you had urgent business t' see to up in Tennessee at two in th' mornin'," offered Enos with feigned innocence. "I figure he'll understand."

Daisy looked at him, "I'll let _you_ tell him that."

"You know...this is just like when we were kids," he complained. "You're already gettin' us in t' trouble."

"You said you missed it," she teased.

"Not _this_ part."

They exited the truck simultaneously, and made their separate ways up onto the porch.

"Mornin', Uncle Jesse," said Daisy, cheerfully. She opened the screen door, but knew she wouldn't get away that easily.

"Just... hold on a minute, Daisy," said Jesse, concerned. "I'd like t' know just what you think you're doin'?"

She let the handle go and the door swung shut. "I'm sorry, Uncle Jesse, I just...I needed t' talk t' Enos."

His eyes shifted to Enos momentarily, who stood beside and somewhat behind her. "Enos."

"Mornin', Uncle Jesse..."

"Just what did you think it meant when th' Doc told ya' t' take it easy?"

"I - "

He pointed at Daisy. "Now...I ain't surprised that _you_ didn't listen to him. What surprises me is that _you_," he pointed at Enos, "let her go."

"Yes sir," replied Enos, "but...she...I thought it was better if I's there t'...t' watch over her."

Daisy smothered a laugh.

Uncle Jesse let out a long-suffering sigh and shook his head. "Daisy, I can't make ya' take care of yerself, but sometimes I sure wish you'd try a little harder."

"She will, Uncle Jesse," Enos surprised them both by saying. "I promise I'll keep my eye on her."

This time Daisy couldn't stop the laughter that bubbled up as she entered the kitchen with Enos behind her, leaving Uncle Jesse to wonder exactly what was going on.

* * *

><p>The house was quiet except for the sound of running water in the bathroom as Daisy set the pot of coffee on the stove to perk. Uncle Jesse had gone to feed and water the animals while Bo and Luke took advantage of the holiday to sleep late. Enos had taken advantage of her cousins still sleeping to take a shower before they used up all the hot water.<p>

Daisy turned as the door opened and Uncle Jesse entered the kitchen.

"You want some coffee, Uncle Jesse?"

"Not yet, I don't think. Thank ya', though," he said, hanging his coat and hat up by the door. "I think I'm gonna get ready t' go first. You goin' carolin' down on th' square with us?"

"I think I might," she answered, "I'll just take..." She was about to say she'd take Dixie when she remembered her Jeep was at Cooter's garage. "You mind if I take th' truck? I'll just pick Enos up afterwards so he won't have t' drive his patrol car out."

"That's fine." He looked as though he might say something else, but then shook his head slightly. "You seen th' boys, yet?"

"Nope, they're still sawin' logs."

He left her then and turned down the hallway. A moment later she heard a knocking sound and Uncle Jesse telling Bo and Luke that if they wanted to go, they best be getting a move on, and shortly thereafter the door to his own room closed. There was a sudden silence then as the old water pipes groaned and the sound of rushing water stopped, and Daisy found herself distracted by the thought of Enos with wet hair and wishing she could run her fingers through it. In fact she was still woolgathering when his hands slid around her waist. She leaned back against him, closing her eyes as he pressed a kiss to her temple, his damp hair brushing against her face and rewarding her daydreams with a healthy dose of reality.

"I could get used t' this, you know," she whispered. "It's better than coffee..."

* * *

><p>Luke sat on the edge of his bed, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "You gettin' in th' shower?" he asked his fair-haired cousin who had yet to move from his bed on the other side of the room they'd shared since Bo had turned three.<p>

"Hmm umm...," came the indifferent mumble, muffled beneath the black and white checkered comforter. "I took one last night."

Grabbing his clothes, Luke shuffled out of the room and into the bathroom where, to his chagrin, he found someone had already beaten him to the hot water.

Bo threw the covers back, loathe to leave their warmth, but not so far removed from boyhood that he couldn't appreciate that this morning was Christmas Day. He dressed quickly and after running a brush half-heartedly through his hair, stepped out into the hallway. The wooden floorboards were cold beneath his feet and he nearly passed by the kitchen on his way to the living room without noticing that it wasn't empty. As it was, he stopped, unobserved, just beyond it's doorway, the scene playing out before him as though he were an uninvited witness to someone else's dream. Someone else's, for it surely wouldn't be something _he_ would have conjured up in his wildest imagination.

Enos stood behind Daisy, his arms circling her waist, whispering something which made her grin as simultaneously a faint blush colored her cheeks. As Bo watched, Daisy ran her hand through Enos' hair, turned in his arms, and kissed him. Not a kiss between friends - the simple peck on his cheek that they'd all seen her give him before, but a kiss between two people who might be lovers, full of passion and returned just as eagerly by the deputy.

Bo stepped back, further into the hallway, feeling like a voyeur. He turned around, dazed and not quite sure that he wasn't actually still dreaming, and went back to his room.

* * *

><p>Half an hour later, a stream of vehicles pulled out of the yard at the Duke farm; Bo, Luke, and Uncle Jesse in the General Lee, Daisy in the truck, and Enos in his patrol car.<p>

"You sure are quiet t' day, cuz," said Luke, sparing a quick glance at Bo who for once was riding in the passenger seat of the General.

Bo had been too unsettled to drive, having tried his best to rationalize away what he'd seen earlier between Daisy and Enos, but with little success. From all appearances, it had been what it had looked like. Not that he hadn't stumbled upon Daisy playing tonsil hockey with guys before, but...well... _Enos_? He knew she was fond of the awkward deputy, but that was neither here nor there. Bo had always gotten the impression that she flirted mercilessly with the man because she liked to see him squirm, not because there was any deeper meaning behind it. Therefore, seeing her falling all over him this morning could only mean one thing...

"Say, Uncle Jesse," he started, ignoring Luke's previous comment, "Do ya reckon maybe someone could have a head injury without...well, without _lookin'_ like they've had one?"

* * *

><p><em>AN: So...too much fluff? Should I quit while I'm ahead? Let me know what you think...  
><em>


	8. Chapter 8

_"Days and nights falling by me -  
>I know of a dream I should be holding...<br>_

_Strange how my heart beats_  
><em>to find I'm standing on your shore."<em>

_-Enya_

* * *

><p>"She was <em>what<em>?"

"I told ya', Luke...an' it wern't no innocent teasin' neither." Bo felt his cheeks redden at the memory and ran his hand through his hair, flustered.

Uncle Jesse shifted uncomfortably in the backseat, more unnerved by his nephew's revelation at the moment than by Luke's driving. "Uh...well now, let's just take it easy, boys. Maybe there's a good explanation for..."

"I know what I saw, Uncle Jesse," Bo argued.

Silence descended on the three of them as they struggled individually to process what Bo had witnessed.

"She was out of it for quite a while after th' accident according t' Enos," said Luke, finally. "Maybe she _did_ hurt herself worse'n we thought."

Jesse thought back to the night before, when he'd awoken to the sound of the truck engine at just past two in the morning. That whole thing still didn't set right with him. Maybe he _would_ call Doc Applby when they got home - just to ease his own mind if nothing else. "Listen, you boys just keep an' eye on her t'day - see if she does anything else out of th' ordinary...but don't _look_ like you're keepin' an eye on her," he admonished.

As they neared the square, Luke parked the General Lee to the side of the curb, and a moment later Daisy pulled up behind them.

If her mind hadn't been elsewhere, Daisy might have noted the concerned looks bestowed upon her by her uncle and cousins as she climbed out of the truck, but as it were she barely registered that they were there at all. Instead of catching up with them, she turned towards the road, her eyes following Enos' patrol car as it weaved slowly through the townsfolk gathering to sing carols until it pulled up in front of the Sheriff's Department. He got out and turned towards the square, automatically picking her out in the crowd. He smiled at her and waved and she happily returned the gesture.

"Daisy!" The sound of Luke's voice cut through her reverie.

She turned towards her family. "Yeah?"

Bo rolled his eyes at her. "We've been callin' your name for five minutes," he told her, impatiently. "You comin' or not?"

She flashed her younger cousin a bright smile. "I'm right behind ya', Bo."

* * *

><p>With everyone else caught up in the spirit of caroling, only one pair of eyes saw the rusty, green pickup truck that morning, slowly circling the town square.<p>

* * *

><p>Just before noon, the crowd finally broke, and Daisy saw that the Busy Bee Cafe (open only for lunch on Christmas) was already doing a brisk service. Uncle Jesse and the boys had left for home to get Christmas dinner ready for later that evening, but she'd stayed behind to wait for Enos.<p>

She checked her watch. He still had an hour and a half before his shift was over. Normally she wouldn't have gone over to visit him while he was working as it invariably caused Rosco to gripe at him about slacking off or for having 'riff-raff' cluttering the place, but the sheriff wasn't there today and so she found herself walking up the steps to the station. No sooner had she opened the door than a hand closed around her arm and pulled her in, slamming the door behind her.

At first she thought Enos was teasing her, but that idea lasted only until she saw the seriousness of his expression.

"Enos, what's wrong?"

He still clutched her arm, but had turned back towards the door and was peeking through the blinds. "You didn't see 'em?" he asked, still watching the road.

"See _who_?"

He turned back towards her. "Th' Beaudry's are back in town," he said, not bothering to hide the disgust in his voice. "I saw 'em drivin' around, Milo was hangin' out th' window like a rabid coon hound."

"I didn't figure them for likin' carolin'."

He frowned. "Yeah, well, I don't think they were worried about th' music so much as who was singin' it. They circled th' square four times before they headed off to th' Busy Bee."

She laughed, remembering the look on Enos' face after he found out what the Beaudry's had had planned for her last time they were here. He wasn't very happy about having been left out of the loop that day.

"Oh Enos, I ain't worried about them. More than likely they're just seein' who's not around their still t'day so they can steal it from 'em."

Enos didn't look convinced. "More than likely Milo's lookin' for _you_."

"I doubt it," she said, unconcerned. "But if it'll make ya' feel better, I'll stay here and wait on ya'."

Enos shook his head. "No, they might come in an' see if I know where ya' live. You can't stay here." His eyes fixed on hers for a long moment before he sighed and fished his keys out of his pocket. "There's only one place close they ain't gonna look," he said as he sorted through keys on his keyring, "an' ya' need t' go now, while they're still eatin' lunch." Finally he found the one he wanted and took it off. "Here."

He blushed as he handed her a silver key stamped across the top with the words "do not duplicate".

"Just...uh...don't eat anything in th' fridge. It's prob'ly turned t' penicillin by now. I'll bring th' truck over when I get done an' pick ya' up."

Her fingers closed around the key, recalling when she'd stayed at his apartment and all the less than platonic dreams it had produced for several nights thereafter.

"You're really worried about 'em, aren't you?" she asked, quietly.

He looked down at his fidgeting hands. "I'd just rather be safe than sorry, specially when it comes t' you, Daisy. Sorry if I'm bein' too forward."

She reached out and tilted his face back up to look at her. "Maybe I like you that way," she said with a grin.

Something in the depths of his eyes told her he didn't mind it so much either.

* * *

><p>Ten minutes later, Daisy stood in a small, claustrophobic hallway outside apartment #4 at the Hazzard Boarding House. Her hand was sweaty as she turned the key in the lock and opened the door to Enos' living quarters. He'd rearranged everything since she'd stayed there, except for the bed which still sat underneath the window, and although she'd been here briefly the day they would have been married, she'd paid it little attention. The couch which had once stretched along the same wall as the main door was now across from her, on the other side of the bed next to a desk with a lamp. His dresser and a small refrigerator had taken it's place.<p>

The only thing new was the weight bench to the right of the bed with a chrome, spin-lock barbell and several weight plates of varying sizes stacked underneath. She couldn't remember the last time he'd actually bought anything nice for himself, and she suspected the nagging he took from Rosco and Cletus about working out in the locker room on his down time bothered him a lot more than he'd let on.

She draped her coat over a chair, shivering as a draft wafted across her from the window, and wished she hadn't worn a short sleeved shirt. She stepped over to his dresser where a framed picture of herself and his high-school baseball trophies sat and smiled at the memory of the tall, dark haired outfielder grinning up at her as she watched him from the Hazzard High School bleachers.

The clock in the small kitchen told her she still had a good hour before Enos was off work, and even then it would be ten more minutes before he was out the door and on his way. Stifling a yawn as the early morning caught up with her, Daisy lay down on the bed, hoping to catch a quick nap before he came home, sighing contentedly as the faint smell of aftershave and shampoo drifted through her senses. She was almost asleep when she noticed the large, black box sitting on the desk across from her. Too big to be a shoe box, Daisy stared at it for several minutes wondering what was inside it before she decided to get up and find out herself.

She lifted the lid, fully expecting it to be clothes or something else just as uninteresting, but found that instead it was filled with pictures. Her fatigue forgotten, Daisy carried the box over to the bed.

There were four albums which she sat aside and several loose photos which she gathered together. Of those, she recognized only a few people as they were mostly from the nineteen-thirties and forties - probably pictures of his grandparents whom she had never met, though she knew the boy in them must be his father. She'd always heard the resemblance was uncanny.

The first two albums were much of the same, older photos of distant cousins, aunts, and uncles, but the third album was of Enos' immediate family. There were only a few pictures of him before he was a teen, mostly school pictures with slicked-down hair and button-up shirts - neither characteristic of the boy she'd known growing up. The bulk of pictures were from his early teens, after his father had purchased a second hand Brownie camera and had become somewhat of an amateur photographer.

She grinned as she turned the pages, for there were nearly as many pictures of Otis Strate's beloved 1951 Hudson Hornet in the album as there were of Enos, along with her Uncle Jesse's 1940 Chrysler New Yorker (the original Black Tillie), and several other Ridge-runner cars she couldn't identify. Near the back were the last pictures he'd taken before his death including a picture of herself and Enos after he'd come in second in the first race he'd ever run at the Hazzard Dirt Track, and one that she'd never seen before of Enos before a race, sitting alone with his back against his car, looking off into the distance. With a sigh, she closed the album and reached for the last one.

The fourth album was different. The pictures in it obviously had not been taken in Hazzard nor anywhere else she had ever been. The setting was dry and dusty, the buildings made of something that looked like cement. Eventually, Daisy spotted someone she_ did_ recognize - Enos' mother. She'd never seen the woman actually smile, but apparently she could as evidenced by the pictures of her with some man Daisy didn't recognize, and several taken with various small children.

Realizing that this was Agnes Strate's album from when she had left Hazzard to go to New Mexico and teach (leaving her own son behind as an orphan, no less), she was about to put it away in disgust when a face from a group picture stood out at her. Quickly she scanned the last pages of the album until on the next to the last page, the eyes of someone who should not exist stared back at her.

With trembling fingers, Daisy pulled back the plastic covering and took out the photo as a chill traveled up her spine and a queasiness settled in her stomach. She had seen this woman before, but it had not been _here_ - nor with her waking eyes.

_"You've been given a gift," _a boy's soft voice echoed through her mind_, "the chance to see what everything would be like if you had never been born..."_

She turned the photo over. On the top, written in flowing handwriting, was the name "Emma Thompson".

* * *

><p>Bo, Luke, and Uncle Jesse had taken the round about way back to the farm and had stopped by Doc Applby's house first. The four of them stood on the porch, discussing Daisy and what they deemed a confusing choice of suitor. The doctor had listened to them patiently, though - like most people in town, he had seen Daisy flirt with Enos before, and it had taken some convincing to assure him that she didn't actually have any <em>real<em> feelings towards Hazzard's deputy.

"Well," said the doctor, after a moment of thoughtful rumination, "I examined her head and neck thoroughly and I found no signs of any physical trauma. But it's not out of the question that she might be suffering from a sort of post-traumatic stress response."

Luke looked confused. "So, now, what's that mean, Doc? I heard about things like that while I was in th' Marines, but I thought it happened after guys came back from war."

The doctor smiled kindly at him. "That's what most people think when they hear about it, Luke, but it can happen after any stressful event - and a car accident wouldn't be unheard of," he explained. "An episode can be mild, causing no more than nightmares for several days, or it can be more overt causing entire personality changes." He paused for a moment. "A stressful event has also been known to cause misplaced feelings of love or indebtedness towards the person who rescued them."

Bo elbowed his cousin. "You know, Luke, Enos was th' first person she saw after the accident."

"Yeah," Luke agreed, "he carried her back to his car an' drove her home."

"That's gotta be it."

"Well, now," Uncle Jesse began, uneasily, "if that's what's happened between her and Enos, how do we go about fixin' it?"

Doc Applby cleared his throat. "Well, first an' foremost, someone either needs t' be with them at all times, or try an' keep them apart. Talk to them about it separately, let Enos know what's happening." His peered at them from over his glasses, his expression infinitely serious and knowing. "And whatever you do, definitely don't let them go off anywhere alone together."

Uncle Jesse, Luke, and Bo shared uncomfortable looks with each other.

* * *

><p>Daisy had no idea how long she sat there, the picture of Emma in her hand, recalling in infinite detail the dream she'd had of that other world. Could it even be called a dream? This woman she'd never seen before was apparently as real as herself or Enos. Perhaps...<em>perhaps<em> it was more of an _experience_. Her flesh crawled with goose-pimples at the thought.

"What'cha lookin' at?"

She startled at the sound of Enos' voice right behind her and spun around, nearly falling off the bed.

"Sorry," he laughed, "I didn't mean t' scare ya'."

"I didn't hear you come in." She flushed, having been caught red-handed going through his stuff. Hastily she stuck the picture back in the album and shut it. "Sorry, Enos, I...I shouldn've been lookin' through your things."

He shrugged indifferently as she placed the album back in the black box and closed the lid. "Shoot, Daisy, I don't care. I ain't got nothin' t' hide." He picked up the box and set it on the floor to make room for himself to sit down on the edge of the bed.

She gave him a half-smile, still unsettled by the photo. Enos returned it with a frown.

"You alright?" he asked, concerned.

She tried a better smile. "I'm fine."

The subtle flash in Enos' eyes told her he was buying none of it. "No. You're not."

"No...," she admitted, noticing that she was the one fidgeting while his own hands for once were perfectly still. "No, I'm not. Enos," she continued before he could get the wrong idea, "if I told you somethin'..._strange_...would you think I was crazy?"

He hesitated. "It depends," he said, quietly, "does it end with ya' still lovin' me?"

Daisy raised her head and grinned at him. "Of course it does."

"Then I don't _care_ if you're crazy or not," he assured her. His eyes narrowed perceptively. "Is this about that dream? Th' one ya' said you didn't want t' talk about?"

For a second she was lost in his hazel eyes, debating on whether to say anything at all, but in the end she knew he was the only person who would listen. "Yeah. It is." She sighed deeply. "I don't even know if I would call it that, Enos. It was so..._real._ I feel like it all happened, just like you'd think about a memory."

He listened without interrupting as she told him about the accident, about the boy who claimed he was an angel, of visiting the farmhouse and finding it run-down and deserted. She told him about Boss renaming the town, and about how Rosco didn't know her.

"But it wasn't really about Hazzard," she said, softly. "It was mostly about _you_." Her fingers picked absently at the quilt covering the bed as she explained to him how in the dream he'd gone to New Mexico with his mother, instead of staying and going to the Academy, and then about Emma, leaving out exactly_ why_ he married her, nor did she tell him of his drowning in the river.

Enos laughed. "I was just a kid, Daisy, I would'nt've been old enough t' get married."

"Well, you _did_. And I met her. She...wasn't very nice."

"So that's what's been botherin' ya?" he asked, confused. "It was just a weird dream, hun, it's okay. Everyone has crazy dreams sometimes."

Daisy shook her head. "It didn't bother me either - not 'till I was lookin' at your mother's photo album." She reached over the side of the bed, took the album from the box, then handed him the picture. "Do you know her?"

He glanced at the woman, but frowned and shook his head. "No, those are all people my ma' worked with. I've never met any of 'em."

"Yeah, well_ I _have," she said, taking the photo from him. She turned it over and showed him the name on the back. "I promise I'm not makin' it up, Enos. I wish I was, 'cause it scares me."

He reached out and caught an errant strand of her hair, twirling it absently through his fingers. "That's why you asked me why I didn't go with my mother," he mused, more to himself than a question to her. If he was concerned for her sanity, he didn't give any appearance, but he did seem lost in thought for a moment before his eyes focused again on hers. "If it weren't for you, I'd have gone with her," he said. "You were the only thing holdin' me t' Hazzard."

Talking about Emma had made the memory of the woman even clearer. Echoes of her voice, screaming at Enos, resonated through Daisy's mind. A host of emotions tugged at her as she raised her hand to his face, brushing her thumb across his cheek, willing herself to forget the sound of Emma hitting him. He was fine. He was here with her...he was _hers_.

"I'm half afraid _you're_ th' dream," she whispered, "an' I'm gonna wake up back in that world without you."

Enos turned his face into the hand that caressed it and placed a gentle kiss on her palm. "If this is a dream, then it's mine," he murmured, as he covered her hand with his own and kissed it again...and then again, drifting slowly from her hand up her wrist, and it occurred to her, as she felt her pulse begin to quicken, that he couldn't know what that was doing to her...how his warm breath ghosting across her skin made her feel - here, alone in a still and silent room, with the sun cascading softly in through the window behind them. It fell across Enos, bathing him in golden rays, highlighting the auburn streaks in his dark brown hair.

So close, and yet - if she leaned forward... Her cheek brushed against his shoulder, feeling its warmth beneath the cotton of his uniform.

She was pushing her luck, she knew it, and resigned herself to the fact that at any moment his sense of propriety would awaken, and he would sit back hastily and apologize for something she'd wanted longer than she'd known. But instead his free hand slid around her waist, drawing her even closer, as his lips continued their slow, gentle progression along her inner arm. The tide of a burning ocean rushed over her, sinking her in its depths and scattering her thoughts. Without thinking, her lips grazed his neck just above the collar of his shirt. She felt his breath catch and he stilled - waiting- as she kissed him again, tasting the slight bitterness of his aftershave, feeling the flutter of his pulse racing beneath her.

"Dai-sy..."

She almost didn't hear his whisper, but she felt him release her and move back, out of range of her kisses. In fact she had not even noticed her eyes were closed until she opened them to find his own staring back at her - stormy and depthless as panic warred with desire, and she knew what he would say next...

"Daisy, I'm -"

Her hands caught his face, pulling him roughly back to her, her lips capturing his before he could finish. He didn't resist, but her kiss was chaste and she released him quickly.

"Don't you lie t' me, Enos," she warned, nearly on the verge of tears. "Don't you dare tell me you're sorry."

He said nothing, his eyes searching over her face, perhaps weighing the truth of the matter with what he felt he should or shouldn't say.

"We have t' go," he said at last, his voice low and husky with emotion," or I don't think I'll want to."

* * *

><p><em>AN: I humbly beg for feedback...only 3 reviews in 2 chapters makes me think I need to go back to my day job..._


	9. Chapter 9

_"When you're all alone,_  
><em>stuck in the dark,<em>  
><em>when you've lost your way in life,<em>  
><em>I won't be far...<em>

_'Cause I can see sunlight_  
><em>though my window - <em>  
><em>if you open your eyes <em>  
><em>you'll find your way back home."<em>  
><em> -Plain White T's<em>

* * *

><p>Daisy lay on the bed, listening to the sound of water running in the bathroom. Staring up at the ceiling, she tried to focus her mind on the picture she'd found of Emma, to work through the meaning of it, but instead she found herself thinking of the pictures Enos' father had taken before he'd died - of days filled with simple, uncomplicated joy when she and Enos were as close as siblings and the future was just another great adventure. Basking in the light of those memories, Daisy realized with a start that there was something missing.<p>

There had been a time, not so long ago, when racing had consumed every fiber of Enos' being. He was darn good at it, too, but it had been nearly ten years since he'd run a lap on the state circuit. There were no physical mementos of that part of his life here - no trophies, no pictures..._nothing_, and it brought a sharp reminder of how far apart they had drifted over the years that it was only now Daisy had noticed its absence in his life.

The water cut off and moments later she heard the sound of the bathroom door opening. She said up, her heart giving a desperate lurch despite itself.

"Hey, Enos?"

"Yeah?"

"Why don't y'ever race anymore?"

There was no answer and Daisy thought perhaps he hadn't heard her through the wall, but a moment later he entered the living area, dressed now in faded jeans and a plain, white tee-shirt.

"Well, for one, I ain't got no car, an' I reckon Rosco'd skin me alive if he saw me running laps in th' cruiser," he said, lightheartedly. "'That dang thing's got th' suspension of a covered wagon, besides."

To her disappointment, he took a long sleeve, plaid shirt from his dresser and put it on over the other.

"We ain't goin' t' church, sugar," she teased, "you oughta just wear th' one you've got on."

He paused as he buttoned the front and looked warily over at her. "How come?"

"'Cause it looks good on ya'," she informed him with a smile. In fact, she thought the singular t-shirt complimented his muscular frame rather nicely to say the least.

"It's winter, Daisy. It's kinda cold outside." He resumed buttoning, mumbling something she couldn't understand.

"What?"

He looked back over at her, with subtle mischief gleaming his eyes. "I said, you oughta wear long sleeves, too...they're a heck of a lot safer." Daisy stared at him, agape, so surprised that he would be teasing her about what had happened that she missed the chance at a snappy comeback. "'Course...at least you were wearin' _your_ clothes this time 'stead of just my shirt," he added, offhandedly.

Daisy felt her cheeks burn. On the night she'd stayed with him to escape Nervous Norman, Enos had been pulling a late shift but had given her a pair of jogging pants and a sweatshirt to sleep in before he'd headed back out on patrol. She couldn't have said exactly what caused her to set them aside and grab the flannel shirt hanging from a hook in his bathroom instead, but alone in his apartment, she couldn't help imagining, just for a minute, that she _belonged_ there... and she...well, she had wanted to see his reaction.

Had she been hoping to _provoke_ a response from him? Looking back, she thought perhaps she _had_ been...

As it was, he had barely looked at her.

"You didn't seem t' mind at th' time," she shot back. The easy banter that had been so natural between them growing up was rusty now from long disuse - how could she have forgotten how much he loved to tease her?

"Well, I couldn't rightly ask ya' t' take it off," he said, his voice serious.

Daisy laughed and saw him grin before he turned away from her to take his heavy green coat from its hook by the door. "You comin' or you gonna sit there a little longer?"

She took a deep breath, greatly relieved that what _had_ happened - and what had maybe _almost_ happened between them, hadn't scared him away. If anything, he seemed more at ease with her now that he had in decades, as though a sizable chunk of the wall between them had been torn down.

Enos had always been a complicated person, even when they were kids. Most people, her cousins included, never understood that he wore naivety and simple-mindedness as though they were masks behind which to cloak his soul. The _real_ Enos - the one who felt anger, grief, passion - was shut away - hidden from a world that had let him down more times than he cared to remember. It had been a long time since he'd felt comfortable enough around her to display any emotion other than stiflingly superficial politeness.

She got up from the bed and walked over to where he waited. "Enos..," she began, suddenly feeling uncharacteristically bashful.

"Hmm?"

She gazed up at him, blushing as she realized there was no other way to word exactly what was in her heart other than to just say it. "I just...um... Thanks for not being afraid to...to...you know."

Enos stared back at her, color creeping into his face, but a slight smile tugging at the corner of his mouth as he took her meaning. Without a word, he pulled her into his arms, hugging her tightly to his chest.

"I ain't afraid t' touch you, Daisy," he whispered, "I'm just afraid of how much I want to."

* * *

><p>Daisy watched the scenery flow by as Enos drove them on their way towards the Duke farm. This winter had been colder than average, even before the snowfall which had now melted, and everything had turned to lifeless and dingy shades of brown and gray. It was ugly without the snow, the roads clogged with deep ruts and the fields now nothing more than mud slicks, stretching out balefully under the sallow light of the overcast sky.<p>

Thoughts of snow turned her memory to the day before and the Boar's Nest and she remembered she still had not learned the answer to that burning question.

"I forgot t' ask," she said, turning to Enos, "what happened with Boss an' th' money he said I stole?"

Enos chuckled. "Oh, not much. I don't think Rosco's heart was really in it, 'specially it bein' Christmas an' all. I just told him if he put ya' in jail on Christmas Eve, I'd quit an' Cletus could have my job again."

"You didn't!" She was mildly shocked - not that Enos would stand up for her, but that he would do it so emphatically against Rosco.

He shrugged. "He didn't really cotton to th' idea of Cletus bein' deputy again, I reckon."

"So...that's it?"

"Next thing I knew, th' money mysteriously reappeared," he said, giving her a wink.

Daisy shook her head with wonder. "Boss didn't say anything about givin' me my job back, did he?"

"He fired ya', too?" he asked, obviously happy about the fact.

"Listen here," she said, crisply, "it may not be th' best job in th' world, but it pays th' bills. I ain't gotta like it."

He was quiet and Daisy realized belatedly that, unintentional or not, she'd struck a nerve. Enos had never said anything before against her working there, though of course, he wouldn't've seen it as his place to do so.

"I'm sorry, Enos. I didn't mean t' snap at ya'."

"No, _I'm_ sorry, Daisy. It's just..." He shook his head.

She wasn't letting him off that easily. "It's just..._what_?"

"I just don't care for th' way other guys look at ya' when you have t' dress like that," he said, uneasily, "like you're a piece a' meat. I worry about you, is all."

His words were so close to what the Enos of her dreams had told her - about her worrying him, that it gave her pause. Ever since he'd come back from Los Angeles, Enos had made a habit of coming by the Boar's Nest when she was closing up if he knew Bo and Luke wouldn't be there, but she'd always put it down to him just wanting to see her. Now, in light of his comment, that reasoning sounded petty, and she understood that he was worried something would happen to her...that someone might... _"They don't all have th' right motives,"_ he had told her.

"That's why you come in when I'm closin'," she said, quietly.

He rubbed the back of his neck. "I know Hazzard's a safe, sleepy little town, Daisy, but..." He pulled the truck over to the side of the road and put it in park. Instead of turning to her and finishing his thought, he rested his head against his hands atop the steering wheel.

Alarmed, Daisy unbuckled her seatbelt to scoot closer to him and laid her hand on his shoulder. "Enos...what's wrong?"

He shook his head, but didn't lift it to look at her, and when he spoke his voice was rough and barely more than a whisper. "I couldn't tell you 'cause...'cause it ain't somethin' you should have t' hear."

"Tell me," she urged, gently.

And now he _did_ raise his head, his eyes suspiciously red and watery. "About th' girl - when I's out in LA."

Daisy's heart skipped a beat, automatically thinking Enos meant that he'd been _dating_ another girl. "The girl," she heard herself repeat.

"She worked in a bar, of all places," his said with a short laugh, his eyes taking on a faraway look as he no doubt recalled her face. "We were in an' out of there a lot, breakin' up fights, haulin' off drunks, ya' know, so we'd talk sometimes when we could catch a break."  
>He focused his attention back on Daisy, studying her features intently before continuing. "Ding-dang, but she looked like you," he swore, softly. "Sometimes I used t' pretend that I's back in Hazzard at th' Boar's Nest, talkin' t' <em>you<em>." He looked down, embarrassed. "Sorry, Daisy."

She wasn't sure whether he was apologizing for imagining the girl was her or whether it was because he had been talking to another girl in the first place. "That's okay."

"Anyway...," he sighed, "it was a bad area, lots a' dope dealers, lots a' girls on th' street who shoulda' been home studyin' for school...an' a whole lotta guys who, well...weren't nearly fit t' waste spit on, I guess.  
>"So one mornin' we're out on patrol an' we hear a call, 'bout a girl who didn't show up at home after she got off work th' night before. Me an' Turk, we weren't in th' area, but I recognized th' address so we took it anyway." His hands shook as he stared off into the distance past the windshield, speaking slowly and softly as though lost in a dream. "Turk looked around outside while I went in. Th' door was open...but there was nobody in th' bar so I...I looked around...till I...I found...she...she was in th' stock room..."<p>

His voice broke in a grief-stricken sob, and he closed his eyes - still and unmoving.

Daisy found she was speechless. Of course they had all known that Los Angeles had been a different experience for Enos than Hazzard, that went without saying. She thought now though, that they had all been terribly naive, believing that after all was said and done, it was just a bigger city - that everyone lived in little houses with white picket fences and went home to their families at the end of the day. Now the unpleasant truth was here, laid bare before her by a man who had never lied to her.

At last he drew a ragged breath. "I'll never forget it, as long as I live, Daisy," he whispered. "I still have nightmares about it...'cept it ain't her I find, it's you."

All Daisy could do was hold him. He hugged her back, resting his head against her shoulder. "I'm sorry, Daisy," he said, his voice muffled by her coat, "it wasn't somethin' I figured t' ever tell ya'. Not somethin' I wanted you t' hear...I'm sorry..."

Daisy stroked his hair gently, wishing with all her heart she could take away the pain she knew he harbored inside. It was there in his voice, in his words, and in the way he was clutching her tightly as though at any moment she might fly away from him. "You've got nothin' t' be sorry for, Enos."

He leaned back, and wiped at his eyes. "I didn't mean t' sound so possessive about ya' workin' at th' Boar's Nest," he told her, "I just...I _love_ you, Daisy. If anything was t' happen t' you..."

A flash of Enos, lying cold and dead on the bank of the river made up her mind. Just as she would have done anything in her power to save him then, he was only doing the same with her now - trying to save her from his dreams.

"Okay."

He looked at her, confused.

"I won't ask Boss for my job back. Between your dreams an' mine, I think maybe gettin' fired was th' best thing that coulda happened."

Enos seemed perfectly shocked, as if it was the last thing he'd ever expected her to say. "You'd...you'd do that?"

"Yeah, I would. 'Sides," she said, grinning, "I can just imagine you glarin' at every guy who looks my way after we're married. You'd scare away th' customers."

He pulled her tighter to him, smiling roguishly. "Well, then you'd be _mine_ t' look at...not theirs."

* * *

><p><em>AN: Enos' experience in LA was just one of those things that wrote itself. When I write, I usually know how the story will end and have a couple of main scenes along the way that I write around, but sometimes things pop out and surprise me, too. I've wondered occasionally in my writing what he must have seen there and how it changed him..._


	10. Chapter 10

_"Our lives are made in these small hours -_  
><em>these little wonders, these twists and turns of fate.<em>  
><em>Time falls away, but these small hours,<em>  
><em>these small hours still remain."<em>  
><em>-Rob Thomas<em>

* * *

><p>Though the clock read only a little after four, the sky had already begun to dim by the time Enos and Daisy arrived at the farm, and the western horizon was painted in brilliant hues of orange and pink with the setting sun.<p>

Enos pulled up beside the General Lee, put the truck in park, and killed the engine. Instead of getting out, he shifted sideways in the seat with his back against the door, an expression of nervous anticipation on his face.

Daisy's glance fell from his face to his hands which had resumed their usual fidgeting, belying his internal turmoil despite the easy smile he flashed her from across the cab. His eyes flicked to the house behind her before settling back on her own. He exhaled forcefully.

"So...," he began, but waited, leaving his thoughts unspoken.

The silence stretched out between them, long enough for Daisy to muse on what Enos' behavior around Uncle Jesse and the boys might be tonight. It would be just as well if he was nervous - it would be expected, and it would do more to putting everyone else at ease than any_ new_ behavior would. She finally asked him what was wrong.

"Uh...well..." A defeated look crossed his face as he leaned towards her and propped his elbow up on the back of the bench seat. "Shucks, Daisy, I ain't been this nervous t' see your family since I don't know when."

"Oh Enos, don't be silly."

His eyes narrowed intently as the ghost of a smile played on his lips. "I've been around enough times when Uncle Jesse's raked your boyfriends across th' coals."

His words were light with humor, but they gave Daisy pause. Calling him him that sounded - well, it sounded _cheap_. For Daisy, boyfriends were meant to be admired and cooed over and then tossed back into that sea of men who were ever so much willing to be dangled about by her for a short while. Safely shallow - no strings attached.

They were..._disposable_.

But Enos was different in every one of a million ways. Although they had grown apart over the years, the way she'd felt about him had never really changed. There had never been a time when she could have honestly replied that she didn't love him, in some way or another.

She suspected part of her fickleness with men had to do with the fact that she'd always used Enos as their gold standard, and that no one had ever quite measured up to what she had come to expect from _him_. They were never reliable enough, sensitive enough, in love with her enough, never sweet enough, considerate enough, or honest enough, never cared about her opinion, never listened...

"You're not like _them_, Enos," she said, softly.

His eyes searched her face, trying to read her meaning. "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

She turned her head to kiss his fingers which had been idly twirling her hair. "You really wanna be in th' same category as they are?"

He looked up at the ceiling, pretending to ponder over her question before looking back at her and grinning. "I dunno, I reckon it depends on what category we're talkin' about."

She blushed and looked down. Regardless of whether he'd meant his words as innuendo or he was just teasing her, his lightheartedness over her past made the guilt inside her bubble up.

How could he sit there, loving her, when she'd never given him much more than a few shreds of hope? Most men would've cut their losses and thrown in their chips years ago. And yet Enos had always been there, hovering just out of reach - constant through everything.

"I've always loved you, Enos, ever since we were kids. It's just -"

"I'm not dangerous, mysterious, sexy, or terribly complicated," he offered, matter-of-factually when she hesitated.

Is that what he thought? He had always kept to himself, even when he was younger, and he was a heck of a lot smarter than he led most people to believe. More than anyone else she knew, he was an enigma- a puzzle of dark, erratic pieces that didn't seem to fit together unless you had first seen the big picture. It was that hidden side of Enos that most attracted her to him. It was easy to brush him off when he was playing a dimwit around Rosco or cloaked behind his politely detached propriety – but now - alone with her with all his cards at last on the table, and watching her with eyes that harbored even more mysteries behind them, he was all of those things and more, and ignoring her heart was as impossible as holding back the sea.

"No," she whispered, "that's not it at all. I was gonna say that... well, I ain't been a saint, Enos." The words were bitter, but true, and she fought past the lump in her throat. "I think you probably deserve better than me." He couldn't be surprised by her confession, her checkered history was no secret to anyone who had known her well.

He slid closer to her across the seat and tilted her face back up to his, but she focused on the barn out the windshield instead of him, not wanting to see the truth of it in his eyes.

He stroked her cheek. "Daisy, look at me."

She slid her gaze slowly back to his, where in place of their usual calm, a stormy, green ocean raged. She was momentarily transfixed by the thought of that metaphor, imagining herself drowning in their depths.

"I don't care about any of that, Daisy. Whats in th' past is in th' past, an' I swear I've already forgotten anything you might be talkin' about."

She shook her head in disbelief. "How can you say that? You're just provin' my point."

"Dang it, Daisy! I can't help how much I love you," he snapped, an edge of anger in his voice. "You're th' only one who can't seem t' let it go. If you think that's gonna scare me away, you don't know me as well as I thought ya' did."

_Could_ she just forget? Was it even possible? Her mind cycled through all the petty flings she'd had - a few with men little more than strangers, drifting through Hazzard on their way to places unknown. It was more than forgetting, it was about _forgiving_ herself. It wasn't something she was good at, she was far more talented at digging herself deeper holes.

As if he had read her thoughts, Enos whispered quietly. "Everyone deserves t' start over, Daisy." He slid his arm around her shoulders and drew her closer to him so that her head rested against him and raked his fingers gently through her hair. "I just...I wish you'd trust me when I say I don't care."

Daisy closed her eyes and let herself feel the warmth and strength of his embrace. It had been true, what she had told him about being different from everyone else. There was something stronger than any fleeting feeling of attraction, something that had never died despite all that time had brought between them. She loved him, and being in his arms was like coming home after a long, wearisome journey.

"You promise?" she whispered against his shirt.

"With all my heart."

* * *

><p>Through a crack in the newly installed living room blinds, a set of blue eyes watched the motionless pickup truck with growing dread. Footsteps sounded as Luke entered the room, walked across it, and settled beside his cousin at the window.<p>

"What're they doin'?"

Bo strained his eyes, but the image before him remained the same. "Just talkin', looks like."

Luke pulled down a slat from the blinds to watch with him. "They sure have been talkin' long enough. Enos ain't hardly got th' courage t' be in th' same room as Daisy for five minutes, much less sit in a truck an' talk to her for twenty."

"They was doin' a lot more than talkin' this mornin', cuz," Bo reminded him, sourly. "You know, I just hate for Enos t' get his heart broken. I don't think th' poor guy's got a clue that Daisy ain't herself right now."

Luke grunted his agreement. "At least he's finally -"

"You boys get away from that window," called Uncle Jesse from the kitchen, "there ain't much trouble they can get into in front of th' house. Cletus'll be along any minute now, anyway."

Bo let the blind fall back into it's place, rubbing the dust on his fingers off on his jeans before heaving a sigh and slapping Luke on the shoulder. "Uncle Jesse's right. Can't get in t' too much trouble out front."

"You must not remember Mary Lou Semple," chided Luke, "I reckon you two got into enough trouble parkin' out there."

Bo laughed. "Not as much as we would've if we hadn't gotten caught."

Luke dropped the slat he'd been looking through and pulled down another higher up. "There's Cletus comin' down th' road right now. I 'spect he'll drag Enos off t' listen to him ramble on about somethin'." He turned away from the window. "Come on, cuz, let's finish carvin' up that ham."

* * *

><p>"It's gonna be dark soon, Daisy. We best get outta here for Uncle Jesse comes out t' see what's wrong."<p>

Enos' breath tickled the top of her head and Daisy sighed, not wanting to leave her current location or predicament. He was right, though, the last rays of daylight were quickly fading to the monochrome gray of dusk and the last thing she wanted was Bo or Luke tripping over themselves to see what was the matter with her. Instead of sitting up and moving away from Enos though, she tilted her head back, her nose grazing gently against his chin before his mouth instinctively found hers.

She could never be sure afterwards if she'd heard the car behind them and merely ignored it, or if she had even heard it at all. Regardless, when she and Enos finally separated, they were met by the sight of Cletus Hogg, staring at them from outside the passenger's side window, his eyes the size of saucers and his mouth falling open, unhinged by shock.

"Go away, Cletus, we're busy," Enos shouted, loud enough to be heard through the glass window of the truck.

Cletus blinked quickly several times and proceeded to walk slowly backwards, his eyes fixed on the two of them until he tripped over the first step and landed hard on his rear end. The fall seemed to jerk him back into the present. He turned around, ran up the steps, and knocked loudly on the front door of the house. It opened and he disappeared into the kitchen.

"S'pose he'll tell 'em what we were doin'?" Daisy mused.

"It don't matter," Enos answered, "I'm pretty sure they already know 'bout us."

She turned quickly to look at him. "What'd'ya' mean? We ain't even been here, cept' early today."

"No, but Bo saw us in th' kitchen this mornin', an' I'm fairly sure he's done spilled th' beans t' Luke an' Uncle Jesse."

"Bo? I didn't even see him 'till Uncle Jesse had t' fish him outta his room when we left."

Enos grinned knowingly down at her. "Yeah, well, I saw his reflection in th' kitchen window," he said. "He was wearin' about th' same expression as Cletus was, before he ran off like a scalded cat. That's why I's so nervous about bein' here."

Daisy groaned inwardly. No doubt the guys would be watching them like a hawk all night. She wished Cletus hadn't of seen them, though, if only because he would have drawn everyone's attention away with his endless supply of crazy stories. The kitchen door opened again and Luke stepped out onto the porch, his attention focused on the truck.

"Well, sugar, you'd best get over it quick. Just act natural."

Enos uttered a nervous, high-pitched laugh before opening his door and getting out. Daisy followed suit out the passenger door and strolled leisurely towards the steps as Enos fell in step behind her.

"We were about t' call th' fire brigade t' get th' Jaws of Life after ya'," smirked Luke. "What'cha do, lose th' door handle?"

Daisy frowned at her cousin. "Funny, Luke. Get too dark for binoculars?"

"You got somethin' you wanna tell me?"

"No, not particularly." She brushed past him and opened the door to the kitchen.

The smells and sounds of Christmas enveloped her as she walked inside. Bo was carving the last of the ham from the bone while Uncle Jesse was finishing up the cranberry salad. As she and Enos entered, they stopped what they were doing and turned towards them. The looks on their faces were anything but typical, and Daisy knew Enos had been right. Both wore somewhat dour expressions; Uncle Jesse's full of concern as he seemed to examine her for anything that might be visibly amiss, while Bo focused worriedly on Enos.

"You guys look like you just got a call sayin' Santa couldn't make it this year," she told them, light-heartedly.

Bo shook his head and turned his attention to her. "Uh...well, sorry Daisy. I guess...I guess I'm still just a little worried about ya' after yesterday."

"Bo," she laughed, "there ain't nothin' wrong with me. Y'all are th' one's who've got me worried. Y'ain't even got th' carols on. I can't make pies without Christmas carols."

She grabbed Enos' hand and proceeded to drag him through the kitchen towards the living room before he could even get a word in edgewise. He turned and called back a greeting to Uncle Jesse.

"Evenin' t' you, too, Enos," Uncle Jesse said, quietly, watching as the deputy followed after his niece.

* * *

><p>The rest of the night was much of the same with guarded looks from Bo and Luke, and Uncle Jesse being far too quiet - which usually meant she would be receiving a lecture on something or other soon. Cletus still seemed too unsettled to enjoy himself, even with a table full of food at his disposal.<p>

Daisy found herself wondering why it was that they'd always seemed to have such a hard time imagining her with Enos. After all, they'd been nearly inseparable growing up. Why was it that she could bring home a complete stranger she'd plucked off the side of the road and the rest of her family would hardly bat an eye, but Enos...

Perhaps...perhaps it struck them, as it had her, as being more..._permanent_...since it was someone they had known all their lives.

Other than that, she could only guess, and she was determined not to let their reservations change her own actions. After gifts were exchanged (Bo had drawn her name that year and had given her a manicure set), she nestled beside Enos as Uncle Jesse turned down the lights and they sang carols bathed in the glow of the Christmas tree.

The soft blush of the colored lights in the darkened room and the warmth of the man next to her eased her mind until three carols later, she could barely keep her eyes open.

"You look tired," Enos whispered, as she stifled another yawn.

"Hmm. I didn't get much sleep last night," she murmured back.

Enos shifted so that her head lay against his shoulder and put his arm around her. She closed her eyes, feeling the vibration of his baritone voice resonating through him as he sang.

The next thing Daisy knew, Enos was gently shaking her awake.

"Daisy. Daisy, hun, wake up."

She opened her eyes and lifted her head from Enos' shoulder, momentarily confused by her surroundings. The living room was deserted save for the two of them, but the kitchen lights were on. The wrapping paper than had littered the floor earlier had been cleaned up and thrown away and there were fresh logs on the fireplace in preparation for bedtime.

"Hey, I'm sorry, hun," he said. "I gotta go."

She sat up straighter, realizing that she must have been out for some time. "Oh, shoot, Enos. I'm sorry. I didn't mean t' fall asleep."

He brushed her hair from her face. "Shucks, Daisy. That's okay."

She looked around. "Where is everyone?" she asked, thinking that it was odd for them to have been left alone what with all the attention bestowed on them earlier.

"Oh, they're all still lurkin' around. Makin' sure you don't take advantage of me, I reckon."

"Is that somethin' you're worried about?" she teased.

His eyes danced with silent laughter. "Should I be?"

"Definitely." Luke cleared his throat, alerting her to his presence at the entrance to the hallway. "But I'd say you're probably pretty safe around _here_...for now."

"You about ready, Enos?" asked Luke.

Daisy offered to drive him home herself, but was answered immediately by two resounding "no's".

"You need t' get some sleep," said Enos. "Don't worry, I'll see ya' tomorrow."

She took the hand he offered to help her up, but kept it in her own instead of releasing it. "Fine, then I'll walk you to th' General." She shot Luke a warning look, daring him to protest.

In the kitchen, Bo and Uncle Jesse sat at the table, watching them as they passed by. It reminded Daisy vaguely of a "perp walk" for criminals, and she resolved to give the guys a piece of her mind the next day. It wasn't as though they had much choice in the matter, so they could just get over it.

Enos, didn't seem to notice. He bid them both a Merry Christmas and thanked them for supper as he pulled on his coat, and then followed her out the door onto the porch.

Daisy took his hand again as he stifled a yawn and together they walked down the steps and over to the Charger.

"You know Luke ain't gonna leave us alone out here," he informed her quietly, just as the door banged opened again behind them and Luke walked out.

"Hmm. I'm gonna have a talk with him t'morrow." She turned towards Enos and slid her arms around his neck. "I still get a good-night kiss."

"You're libel t' get a talk from Uncle Jesse."

She shrugged. "Wouldn't be th' first." A snatch of her dream came back to her, something that Enos had said about Luke. "You ain't afraid of _Luke_, are ya'?"

His passionate kiss left no doubt that, no, he was not.


	11. Chapter 11

_"I shall be telling this with a sigh,_  
><em>somewhere ages and ages hence:<em>  
><em>Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—<em>  
><em>I took the one less traveled by,<em>  
><em>and that has made all the difference."<em>  
><em> -Robert Frost<em>

* * *

><p>The sun shining brightly through her window woke Daisy earlier than usual. Staring up at the ceiling, she listened to the birds which had nested in the large oak tree on that side of the house and smiled. Today, for the first time in many, many years, the weights that had pressed so heavily upon her soul seemed to have vanished like a nightmare in the morning sun.<p>

It was not really a starting over, more of a _rewind_ perhaps. Back to that point in time when she'd made the wrong choice. When she had taken the path that had led her away from the man she loved and everything that had once meant so much to her.

Now, before her lay those same roads once again. But she knew where the first path led. The sun that shone cheerily across it's entrance was a farce. Beyond the curves, it's route traveled through the dark forests of loneliness, and it had led her more than once to heartbreak.

_Never again_.

In her mind, she sat an imaginary roadblock across that way, then turned from it to contemplate the other. It wasn't flashy with glittering sunlight, but instead was lit from within, from something further down the trail, just around the corner. A light that promised to chase away all the demons that might follow her from the place she had been before, that warmed her soul with it's sustaining presence.

_Enos._

Daisy rolled over to look at her alarm clock which read shortly after 6:30. She grinned, knowing that he would not only already be at the station, but that Rosco wouldn't show up there until almost eight. She wondered whether she could hitch a ride into town with Bo or Luke. Cooter would probably have Dixie fixed by noon so she'd have a good excuse - not that she needed one, but she didn't think her wanting to see Enos before breakfast would get her very far with either of them.

_Maybe I should just take the truck instead._

Not wanting to waste any more time, she tossed back the covers and climbed out of bed. The wooden floorboards were cold against her bare feet and from the crust of frost glittering on the window, she knew the outside temperature had dipped below freezing overnight. She dressed quickly in her jeans and boots, but it wasn't weather for her usual tank tops, worn mostly from habit of working at the Boar's Nest rather than comfort during the winter. Hoping for something warmer, she opened the bottom drawer of her dresser and rummaged through the few long sleeved shirts she owned.

There had been a time, before she'd begun to hang out with the more popular crowd in high-school, when her most comfortable clothing consisted of hand-me downs from Luke. Perhaps that was the reason why the soft, blue flannel shirt at the bottom of the drawer caught her eye. She shook the wrinkles out of it and slipped it on, feeling like a younger version of herself and not a little giddy, snickering to herself over Enos' admonition to wear long sleeves.

The living room was empty. The Christmas tree remained set up, but the lights were unplugged. She wrinkled her nose at it. Putting all the decorations away was the worst part of the holiday and like as not, she usually got stuck with the task. Everything else was quiet and she assumed Bo and Luke were still in bed. With that in mind, she scooped the truck keys from off of the kitchen counter on her way to the door, and in her rush completely missed Uncle Jesse sitting at the table.

"Before ya' start rushin' off somewhere's," he said, startling her, "I want t' talk t' you about somethin'."

Daisy stopped, hit by a sinking feeling of dread, and turned back towards him. "Oh...sure, Uncle Jesse," she said, striving to keep the nervousness from her voice. "What's wrong?"

"Take a seat for a minute." He gestured at the chair across the table from him.

* * *

><p>The roar of the General Lee's eight cylinders split the quiet of the morning as the car roared down the dirt roads on its way into town. Its two occupants were rather unhappy, both because of the earliness of the hour and the reason why they were up at this hour in the first place.<p>

"Man, I'm as nervous as a long-tailed cat at a rockin' chair factory," swore Bo. He down-shifted and spun the tires as the car slid around the corner. "What th' heck are we s'posed t' say to him anyway?"

Luke, hunkered down in the seat in a vain attempt to catch some shut-eye, shrugged. "Darned if I know, cuz. I'll let you break th' ice."

"Yeah, thanks," Bo groused. "Enos' more apt t' listen t' _you_ than t' _me_."

"He's apt t' change th' subject an' find some errand that needs doin' without listenin' t' either of us."

It being the day after Christmas, the town was quiet with most people taking the day off to recover from too much holiday cheer and pumpkin pie, and it was only just creeping up on 7:00am. Bo sidled the General up to the curb in front of the Sheriff's Station, cut the engine, and climbed out. He and Luke shared a last apprehensive look between them before they mounted the concrete steps up to the building.

* * *

><p>Daisy took a deep breath and slid nervously into the chair Uncle Jesse indicated. "Uncle Jesse, if this is about Enos-" Her uncle shook his head and she lost her train of thought.<p>

"We'll get t' him, but it's _you_ I need us t' talk about."

"Me? Uncle Jesse, I told you, I'm fine. Honest I am. My head doesn't hurt, my eye's ain't swimmin'. I slept good last night an' Doc Applby said that's all I needed."

Uncle Jesse sighed, his careworn face seeming to Daisy a bit older that morning, as though he hadn't slept well. "Honey, you ain't been actin' yourself since th' accident. Now, I don't want you t' worry none, but, well...me an' th' boys, we went back an' talked to Doc Applby, and he seems t' think ya' might be havin' some sort of a reaction t' all that stress."

"A _reaction_?"

He shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Well, he said it wasn't unheard of t' start havin'..._feelin's..._for someone who might've rescued ya' from a bad situation. Like say a car accident."

"You think I'm feelin' this way about Enos 'cause he found me after I hit th' tree?.!" Daisy didn't know whether to laugh or cry. It was the most bizarre bit of boloney she'd ever heard.

* * *

><p>Enos was sorting through papers at his desk, humming idly to himself, when Bo and Luke walked in. He stopped as the blinds whacked against the glass in the door and looked up.<p>

"Hey there, fellas!" he said, smiling. "What can I do for ya'? Sure ain't used t' seeing you two up an' around this early of a mornin'."

Bo drew in a deep breath as they crossed over to where his desk sat in the corner of the room. His hands were clammy, and he wiped them off against his jeans. Enos' eyes followed the movement, an frowned slightly at the nervous response.

"Well, uh, Luke an' me, well. We got somethin' real important we need t' talk t' you about."

Enos beamed innocently back at Luke. "Sure thing, buddyroe. What's on your mind? Say, didja see about that race over in Choctaw County? I heard th' guy that come in first was only drivin' on two tires 'fore he crossed th' finish line."

Luke shook his head. "Enos, we didn't come here t' talk about racin'. Fact is, we're here t' talk to ya' about Daisy."

* * *

><p><em>"<em>Uncle Jesse, a girl can't spend her whole life waitin' tables at th' Boar's Nest an' not thinkin' about th' future," Daisy explained. "An' maybe you an' th' boys are right, that it _was_ that accident that changed my mind, but I'm not goin' crazy. Sittin' there in Dixie, I realized that I want somethin' more outta my life, an' that when all's said an' sifted, Enos is th' one I want it with."

"Well, now, Daisy, I can understand you wantin' t' settle down someday. I'm just worried that this is all a little..._sudden_ though. You ain't never seemed t' feel that way about Enos before all this."

Therein was the problem, thought Daisy. She'd done too good of a job convincing everyone that her flirtation with Enos was innocent teasing and that she felt nothing more than friendship for him. The truth though, was in plain sight -a talisman to the boy she'd never quite forgotten, despite her best efforts after he'd grown up.

"That's not true, Uncle Jesse." With quiet grace, she slipped the ring from her right hand and lay it gently down in front of him. "Do you know where I got this?"

As he picked it up to examine it better in the light, the tiny diamond caught the sunlight streaming through the window and flashed brightly. Her uncle's brows knitted together in concentration. "I don't rightly remember," he admitted, "I s'pose I figured it for your ma's."

"No, Enos found it when we were kids, an' I've worn it ever since." He handed the ring to her and she slid it back onto her finger. "Don't you remember how close we were growin' up? People used t' call us th' terrible twosome 'cause we got into so many scrapes t'gether."

"That was a long time ago, Daisy. People change. You've changed and he's changed. You can't just pick up where ya' left off twenty years ago. It ain't that easy, baby. If it was, this ol' world sure would be a lot better off."

Daisy shook her head emphatically. "I'm sorry, Uncle Jesse, but you're wrong. You're wrong, Bo's wrong, Luke's wrong, an' anybody else who doesn't want t' believe I really love him's wrong, too." She paused, wondering if she should tell him about their plans, and decided there would never be a better time than now. Things couldn't get much worse, and it wasn't as if anything he said was going to change her mind.

"I'm gonna marry him, Uncle Jesse," she said, softly, "an' nobody's gonna stop me."

Uncle Jesse reached across the table and took her hand in his. "Daisy, if that's what you really want, I know there ain't nothin' me or anyone else can do t' stop ya'. I'm just saying that I think you oughta give it a little time first. It ain't fair t' you or to Enos to rush into somethin' that might not be everything you think it is right now."

He released her hand and patted it gently before scooting his chair back and standing up. "Now, I reckon you'd best go an' have a talk with Enos, one way or another. Bo and Luke went down earlier this mornin' t' talk to him about what Doc Applby said."

"They _what_?.! Uncle Jesse they had no right to-"

"Now, just calm down. I told 'em t' go and talk to him, so if you're gonna be mad at someone, you'd best put th' blame where it goes." His eyes met hers, filled with concern and love. "We love ya', Daisy, an' we just want t' do what's best for you, and Enos too."

Beyond the reach of her anger, she knew Uncle Jesse and her cousins only meant well, but it didn't stop the pounding of her heart to think of Bo and Luke talking things over with Enos, trying their best to convince him that her love for him was never real.

"I know you mean well, Uncle Jesse, an' I think you're right. I need t' talk to Enos."

Uncle Jesse picked up the keys from where she had laid them on the table. "I'll take you over there."

* * *

><p>"Dang it, Enos, there just ain't no easy way t' put this." Luke ran his hand though his hair in agitation.<p>

Enos folded his arms across his chest and leaned back in the chair, an unreadable expression on his face. "I reckon you'd best just say it then, Luke."

"Well, you know, me, an' Bo, and Uncle Jesse, we've been real worried about Daisy the past couple days. She just ain't been herself lately, an' well, we had a talk with Doc Applby about it. Sometimes even if a person seems okay on the outside, things can get a little confused when they've had something traumatic happen to them, an'-"

"An' you fellas think that's why she's actin' th' way she is around me," Enos finished. He didn't seem terribly impressed by their revelation, though his subtle anger was lost on them.

Bo, ever one to look on the bright side, tried to soften the blow. "We're not sayin' that for sure, but you gotta admit, Enos, that these..._feelings_...she has for you have come on pretty suddenly."

Instead of answering Bo, Enos turned back to Luke. "So how long does Doc Applby think this _condition_ might last...if that's what it is?" He shot a disapproving look at Bo.

Luke shrugged. "There ain't no way of knowin', Enos," he answered. "Sometimes it lasts a couple months, sometimes it never goes away."

Enos took a deep breath, and stood up from behind the desk. "So, let me get this straight, fellas. Daisy either loves me, or she has a condition that's _makin'_ her love me that might be _permanent_?"

Bo looked away uncomfortably. How come it sounded ridiculous when he heard put it that way? "I s'pose that's one way t' put it."

Enos nodded. "I think I'll take my chances." He gathered up the papers from the desk and a stapler and walked over to the bulletin board where he proceeded to staple the papers up onto the board. "Hey, thanks for comin' by, though, y'all," he said in dismissal, without turning around. "Tell Uncle Jesse I said, "hi"."

"Come on Bo." Luke nudged Bo's shoulder and nodded towards the door just as Rosco entered the station. "Take it easy, Enos," he called back.

"You too, Luke. Bo."

Rosco gave them a wide berth as they passed by him on their way out, remarking snidely about local riff-raff before the door shut behind them.

Bo turned his attention to the General Lee. "Dang it all!" He rushed down to where Rosco's fake yellow fire hydrant sat on the curb beside the car. A slip of paper ruffled in the breeze, caught under the windshield wipers. "I'm gonna give Rosco a piece of my mind!"

* * *

><p>Daisy and Uncle Jesse pulled up in front of the Police Station just in time to see her cousins heading inside, Bo carrying Rosco's fake fire-hydrant.<p>

"Looks like th' boys had a run-in with Rosco."

Uncle Jesse put the truck in park and opened the door. "I'll go an' see what they're up to."

Daisy followed him out, waiting until he'd entered the building before finally going in herself. Bo, Luke, and Uncle Jesse were engaged in a lively debate behind the bar separating the raised partition from the lobby of the police station. Enos was tacking "Wanted" reports up onto the bulletin board at the back of the room.

Leaving the others to settle their differences with Rosco, she crossed over to where Enos was and leaned up against the wall beside him. He glanced over at her, saying nothing, but with an amused grin on his face.

Daisy grinned back. "Hey."

"Hey, t' you, too," he answered, quietly.

"Listen, Enos, I'm really sorry about Bo and-"

"Shucks, Daisy, they's just lookin' out for you. It ain't no big deal. I know y'ain't crazy...not like _they're_ sayin' anyways," he teased.

Enos' ability to brush off her cousins only slightly diminished her irritation with them. "Runnin' off t' tell you I only love you 'cause I'm crazy doesn't fall under the category of "looking out for me" in my book," she noted. "What'd you tell 'em?"

He shrugged. "I said I'd take my chances."

Daisy laughed, relieved that, regardless of what the guys thought of the two of them, at least Enos was unfazed by Doc Applby's analysis of their situation.

"Oh, say," he continued, "I got somethin' for ya', if you're gonna be around later. Rosco ain't lettin' me off till six t'day since I only worked half a day Christmas."

Daisy made a mental note to discuss Rosco working him too hard later. "What is it?" she asked, her curiosity piqued.

"You'll have t-"

Suddenly, the front door of the Police Station burst open, shattering the glass in the door. A shot-gun blast ricocheted through the ceiling, bringing a rain of plaster down into the lobby, and for a moment concealing the identities of the intruders in dust and debris.

Enos automatically stepped in front of Daisy, but instead of his gun, brought the stapler up in front of him in self-defense, squeezing off a few harmless staples before dropping it.

"Don't even think about it, boy!" a gruff voice called to him as his hand went to his gun. "Not if you don't want that pretty little lady behind ya' t' get hurt. You an' th' Sheriff there slide your guns on over here."

Enos looked back up to see Pa', Sledge, and Milo Beaudry, shotguns at the ready, standing in the lobby of the station, and he and Rosco both scooted their guns over towards the man. Milo, with a look of joyful glee on his face, pointed eagerly to where Daisy stood beside him.

"That's her, Pa'!" he shouted. "I tol' ya' I seen her come in here!"

Pa' Beaudry squinted in Enos' direction. "Well, well, well. Looks like you were right, after all, Milo." He motioned to his other son who was standing behind him. "Sledge, leave th' old man with me an' round up ever'body."

Sledge shoved a thin, elderly man in a long black coat towards his father. "Whad'ya want me t' do with 'em, Pa'?"

"Well, now, it's a jail," he said, condescendingly. "I 'spect there'll be a couple empty cells down yonder in th' cellar." Pa' motioned to everyone else in the room. "Now, y'all just go on with Sledge here, an' make y'all selves nice an' comfy. Milo, grab yer girl. We's gonna have a weddin' today, an' we even brought our own preacher." He turned towards the elderly man. "Ain't that right, preacher-man?'


	12. Chapter 12

_"Hey little sister, shotgun -_  
><em>It's a nice day to start again.<em>  
><em>It's a nice day for a white wedding."<em>  
><em>-Billy Idol<em>

* * *

><p>Milo started across to Daisy, but Enos spread his arms out in front of her, standing his ground against the larger man. Daisy, knowing none of the guys were a true match against Milo's brute strength, lay her hand on Enos' shoulder and leaned in to whisper in his ear.<p>

"Do you trust me, Enos?"

He nodded.

"Don't try an' stop him. I'll think of somethin'. Just be ready, okay?"

She felt his body tense as she stepped away from his protection and let Milo grab her arm. A moment later, Enos was caught up with Uncle Jesse, her cousins, and Rosco as Sledge prodded them down the stairs to the holding cells.

Daisy watched as the others disappeared from sight, hearing the sounds of scuffling feet on the steps and Bo and Luke yelling at Sledge. There was a loud, metallic 'clang' followed by a second one as the doors to the cells were shut and locked.

_"Think,"_ she told herself. _"Think, think, think!"_

Her best shot at getting free would be to have everyone downstairs together, but she realized that the only way to get the leverage she needed was going to be to play along. Her stomach churned sickly as she stopped struggling against Milo and turned towards him.

"Milo," she simpered, sweetly. "I wondered how long it was gonna be before ya' came back for me, sugar."

The man grinned stupidly. "See pa'? I tol' ya' she loved me."

Pa' Beaudry shot her a skeptical look. "That may be, boy, but you keep a hold on her. She's got a mite too much spit an' fire in her for my likin'." As Sledge returned to the lobby from the basement, Pa' jerked the elderly preacher in front of him. "Alright, preacher. Let's get this weddin' goin'."

The older man shook fearfully. "But...but...ya' ain't got no certificate."

"There's certificates in Rosco's desk drawer," piped Daisy, "but...Mr. Beaudry, gettin' married is awful important to a girl, and I'd really like t' get married in front of my family. Could we go downstairs?"

Pa' Beaudry hemmed and hawed for a moment before nodding his head. "I s'pose that'd be alright," he said, relenting. "Sledge, grap one a' them there certificates outta th' Sheriff's drawer an' come on down here."

Together they made their way to the back, Milo still holding Daisy tightly, and down the stairs towards the holding cells. Uncle Jesse, Bo, and Luke occupied the first cell while Rosco and Enos stood in the second. Daisy's eyes met Enos' across the room.

When they were kids, most of the scrapes the two of them got into had been largely her doing. There seemed to be no end to her "bright ideas"; from making 'invisible' ink from old motor oil and kerosene to putting alarm clocks in the hen house to wake the chickens. Enos had never wavered in his participation of her nutty schemes, but the simple truth was that all of her courage had stemmed from _him_. He had been the source of her strength, and now, watching him from across the room, she felt those rusty gears begin to turn once again in her mind. She winked at him and turned back to Milo.

"Now, Milo. We can't just get married right away. I mean, there's things ya' have t' do first. Like have a rehearsal."

Milo deadpanned at her. "A rehearsal?"

"Well, sure. Ain't you never been to a weddin' before?"

"I was there when my ma' married my pa'," he said, proudly. "'Fore she got carried off by th' bear. I don't 'member much about it, though."

Daisy smothered a laugh. "I tell you what. Since you don't remember it very well, we'll _rehearse_ a weddin' for you first, an' you can just watch an' see what you're s'posed t' do."

She waited nervously, her heart beating wildly in her chest, as Milo turned to look at his Pa' who in turn shrugged.

"I reckon that sounds fair enough," said Pa' Beaudry. "Sledge, go grab that blond-haired boy in yonder cell. He can stand in for Milo."

"Not him!" exclaimed Daisy, quickly. "He's my cousin. Why, that just wouldn't be right." She pointed to Enos. "How 'bout th' deputy."

Pa' gestured toward the second cell. "Alright. Sledge, bring that one on out here." He focused on Enos. "Don't think about tryin' nothin' funny, boy, or I'll let th' sunlight through ya'."

"No sir, Mr. Beaudry," assured Enos, stepping out of the cell and coming to stand close - but not _too_ close - to Daisy.

"Sledge, did you get that certificate?" Daisy asked the man.

Sledge held out the piece of paper to her. She laid it on the bar behind her and fished a pen from Enos' front pocket. "Now, t' make this legal, you've got t' put down your _full_ name; first, middle, an' last."

Though her words were directed at Milo, her eyes stayed on Enos, willing him to understand her. The surprise on his face and his slight grimace when she mentioned the name reassured her that he did. She wrote out her name on the line that specified who the bride would be and signed it, then slid the paper and pen to Enos. She turned to look at Milo.

"What's your full name, Milo?"

Milo turned to his father, confused. "Pa', do I got one of them fancy names in th' middle?"

"Naw, boy. You ain't got one a' them."

Milo looked crestfallen, but Daisy reassured him that it would be fine. "We'll just use Enos' name for the rehearsal instead."

Enos slid the certificate back to her and she turned it over, scrawling a short note on the back before handing it to the preacher, wrong side up. The man looked at it for a moment then looked quickly back up at Daisy. She nodded slightly.

"Now, th' next thing you'll want t' do is have th' preacher sign the certificate. Sir," she said addressing the elderly man, "why don't you go ahead an' sign this one. Limber up your fingers." She handed him the pen and he added his signature to the bottom.

"Alright, Milo. Are you watchin'? I wanna make sure you're payin' attention 'cause I'm only doin' this once."

"I'm all-eyes, Miss Daisy."

So, too, were Uncle Jesse, Bo, and Luke. She had tried to keep from looking their way, fearing that they might say something that would jeopardize her plan. Now, her eyes met her Uncle Jesse's and she smiled softly and gave him a wink before turning back around.

The preacher cleared his throat. "I reckon if you're ready, you two join hands," he said.

Trying to temper her excitement, Daisy took Enos' hands in hers, noting they were cold and clammy. She suspected hers were the same. Their eyes met and he squeezed her hands gently.

"Dearly Beloved," the preacher began in a somber voice, "we are gathered here t'day in th' sight of God to witness th' union of these two people. Marriage is an institution which ain't meant t' be entered into lightly or in jest and only after much thought and consideration." He stared at both of them in turn.

Enos grinned at Daisy.

"Do you-" He peered down at the certificate. "-Benjamin Enos Strate, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold in sickness and in health, to love and to honor in good times and in bad, for richer or poorer, keeping yourself solely unto her for as long as you both shall live?

"I do," vowed Enos, softly.

"And do you, Daisy Mae Duke, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold in sickness and in health, to love and to honor in good times and in bad, for richer or poorer, keeping yourself solely unto him for as long as you both shall live?

"I do."

"I don't expect you have any rings, do you?" asked the man.

A nervous laugh escaped Enos, and he released Daisy's hand left hand to take a small box out of his pocket. "This was why I wanted t' see you later," he told her, quietly. He opened it up, took out the two rings, and handed them to the older man.

The preacher handed Daisy's ring back to Enos. "Place the ring on her finger and repeat after me; _With this ring, I thee wed..."_

"With this ring, I thee wed..."

_"And with it, I give all myself to you, from now until forevermore..."_

"I give all of myself to you, from now until forevermore."

Daisy followed, placing Enos' ring on his finger and repeating the preacher's words.

"By the authority vested in me by the state of Georgia, I now pronounce you husband and wife," said the preacher. He glanced at Enos. "You may kiss your bride."

"That's th' part I'm lookin' forward to, Pa'," whispered Milo, loudly.

Enos proceeded to do just that - soundly, after which he wrapped his arms around her.

"You never stop amazin' me, Daisy Mae," he whispered in her ear.

"We're not outta th' woods, yet, sugar," she murmured, before stepping back from him.

Daisy picked the certificate up from the bar. "Now, we'll need th' Sheriff t' go an' take this to the registrar."

"Sledge, take th' Sheriff an' go with him," said Pa'.

Sledge unlocked the second cell again, and hauled Rosco out. Rosco, who was looking about as confused as Daisy had ever seen him, stopped in front of her. She handed him the certificate, but he just stared at her, perplexed.

"Uh, Daisy," he said, quietly, "if I file this with Emery, you an' Enos are gonna be-"

Daisy clapped her hand over Rosco's mouth and laughed. "I'm sorry, Mr. Beaudry, Rosco ain't feelin' too well. Apparently all this excitement's gettin' a bit much for him." She took her hand down and glared at the sheriff. "Rosco, I want you t' file this with Emery. _Now. _ Can ya' do that or not?"

"Well, uh sure, Daisy. If that's what you really want." His gaze shifted to Enos who nodded.

"I think you'd better do what she said, Sheriff."

Rosco scratched his head, shrugged, and led Sledge up the stairs on his way to the Registrar's Office just down the hall.

"It's my turn now!" exclaimed Milo, attempting to shove Enos out of the way. "Let's get on with th' _real_ weddin'."

Daisy gazed at him with mock sorrow. "Gosh, Milo, I'm really sorry, but well... I'm _already_ married."

"Already married!" shouted Pa' Beaudry. "Who in th' heck are ya' married to?"

She laughed. "Why, Enos, of course," she told him, throwing her arms around her husband. "Sorry, fellas. I tell ya' what, though. If you let everyone go, drinks are on me at th' Boar's Nest."

Milo brightened immediately and slapped his knee. "Shoot! Free beer? That's even better'n gettin' married!"

* * *

><p>After the Beaudry's had set everyone free and left off to the Boar's Nest, Uncle Jesse and the boys descended on Daisy and Enos.<p>

"That was some fancy shuckin' an' jivin' th' two of you pulled back there," Uncle Jesse said. He eyed them critically for a few seconds before giving a short laugh and shaking his head. "Almost reminded me of a couple of kids who loved each other an' awful lot growin' up." He reached out and pulled his niece into a hug. "Maybe you're right, Daisy. Maybe sometimes things _don't_ change so much that you can't get 'em back. I just want you t' be happy."

She hugged him back, "I am, Uncle Jesse. I promise."

Bo laid his arm across Enos' shoulders. "Say, cuz," he told him. "I gotta problem with some parkin' tickets..."

* * *

><p><em>AN: I hope y'all laughed as much reading this chapter as I did while writing it. The Beaudrys have always been a favorite of mine to write ever since I had them accidentally "kidnap" Enos and Daisy in The Story of Us._


	13. Chapter 13

_"Take me as I am_  
><em>Right here where I stand<em>  
><em> Open up your arms and let me in...<em>

_ We can take tonight_  
><em> And make it last forever-<em>  
><em> if you dare.<br>We can run away and __take the world together,_  
><em> but only if you care.<br>__With these words unspoken."_  
><em>-David Cook<em>

* * *

><p>Half an hour later, Enos and Daisy finally found themselves alone in the cellar. Rosco had come back down just long enough to inform Enos that getting married didn't mean he could go home early and had assigned him to patrol out by Skunk Hollow, in revenge as far as Daisy was concerned. You couldn't go within five miles of Skunk Hollow without coming home smelling like you'd taken a swim in it.<p>

"Guess I'd better go," sighed Enos, with resignation. "Rosco's libel t' find somethin' even worse for me if I don't."

"What could be worse than havin' to sit out by Skunk Hollow?" she griped. "He's just doin' it outta spite."

Enos leaned over and gave her a quick kiss. "He could make me work th' late shift, too."

"I s'pose."

She followed Enos up the stairs and into the lobby where she picked up his hat from off the desk, placed it on his head, and kissed his cheek.

"None of that in here!" bellowed Rosco, scowling at them.

"What time will you be home?" The words sounded strange to Daisy and she smiled, thinking how things were never going to be the same again. Enos', too, seemed to catch his breath at her simple question.

"Around seven, I guess."

She adjusted his tie, her smile growing larger. "I'll be waiting," she whispered.

He swallowed nervously. "Okay."

"I'll see ya' later, sugar." She walked towards the door of the station, her boots crunching on the broken glass and plaster littering the floor.

"Daisy-"

She turned back to Enos. "Yeah?"

"I love you."

How such simple words could mean more than life or death itself when spoken by him, she didn't know. Only that they did.

"I love you, too, Enos."

She went to see Cooter before going back to the farm and picked up Dixie. Setting in the seat of the Jeep again, everything that had happened in her dream seemed closer at hand. Could it have only been two days ago? It seemed like a lifetime had come and gone between the accident and where she found her self now.

The "Hazzard Net" was already buzzing with gossip, all seeming to center around how Daisy Duke and Enos Strate had fooled the Beaudrys at their own game. Speculation abounded, ranging from whether they'd voluntarily married each other after all to whether Enos had covertly hired the gang to perform a shot-gun wedding, but that idea had been shot down fairly quickly.

Daisy rolled her eyes and flipped off the CB radio.

* * *

><p>Most of the rest of the day was spent at the farm, going through her room and sorting out over thirty years worth of memories. What had been home to her that morning seemed less so now. Something more important had stepped in and quietly taken it's place at the forefront of her heart.<p>

She endured her cousins' teasing good-naturedly - even when Luke volunteered a pint of moonshine with a wink, informing her that she might need to spike Enos' drink later. Though the subject swam in the back of her mind, she sincerely hoped she wouldn't need to get Enos drunk to... well... to overcome any inhibitions.

She ate an early supper before leaving to go back into town shortly before 6:00 and twenty minutes later she stood once again in front of his..._their_ apartment rather, in the Hazzard Boarding House. The door swung open when she unlocked it (he'd never asked for his key back) and she closed and relocked it behind her.

Everything was the same as it had been the day before. It was a touch too sterile, too unlived-in, and she suspected Enos spent precious little time here. If he wasn't at work and not sleeping, he was usually out fishing.

_There had been nothing to come home to._

Daisy spent the next hour taking advantage of her new status as his wife by poking through his things, reconnecting with the man who she'd once been so close to. It was only because his personal life was such a closed-book that she supposed she _still_ knew him better than anyone else, which wasn't saying much at all.

She opened the fridge, mindful of his warning about mold, and peered inside. Obviously he didn't eat here either, unless his diet consisted largely of Velveeta cheese and jelly. She shut the door and moved on to the kitchen. The pantry wasn't much better - a box of Saltines, half a loaf of bread, and a jar of peanut butter. Cooking had never been his forte, unless it came to frying fish. Though, on second thought, he usually brought his fish by the farm if he'd caught enough to share.

She walked back into the main room, bypassing the box of pictures she'd already seen and searching instead for his racing trophies. There was no sign of them, a trivial fact that still worried her in the back of her mind, but in the bottom of his dresser she found an entire drawer full of tools for making fishing lures and a thin sheet of styrofoam into which over two dozen hand-made trout flies were neatly hooked, all categorized and labeled. She took it out to better inspect them, marveling over their intricate detail and craftsmanship - proof that Enos' clumsiness did not extend into all areas of his life.

She was still looking at them when the key rattled in the lock. Her heart pounded in her chest, despite her best efforts to convince herself that there was nothing to be nervous about. Enos would be probably be apprehensive enough for both of them.

What if he was so uptight he'd just want to be left alone? How uncomfortable _would_ he be?

_For gosh-sakes, Daisy, calm down! Just...take it slow._

The dead-bolt turned on her side of the door and opened, but the dresser was to the left of the entrance to the apartment and so she was concealed from view. Enos closed the door and re-locked it, shedding his coat and hat and hanging them up on the hooks to his right. Daisy frowned, confused by his tousled, damp hair and white t-shirt, until she remembered that he'd been patrolling by Skunk Hollow.

"You took a shower at th' station?" she asked, more to get his attention than for confirmation.

He turned unhurriedly and smiled, and she knew he'd probably already sensed her there. "Seemed like a good idea," he said, softly. He watched her for a moment without speaking, a curious look on his face, before he walked across to where she stood.

"Whatcha doin'?" he asked, confused.

Belatedly, Daisy realized that she was still holding the sheet of lures, and set them down gently on top of the dresser. "Sorry, I was bein' nosy again," she said, frowning slightly at his close proximity. She had expected him to be nearly paralyzed with anxiety, not gazing down at her with eyes that suggested he might be thinking of something more intimate than having a chat about the weather.

He shrugged. "You know I don't care, Daisy." Grinning, he reached up and loosely cupped her face. "It's not just mine, now, anyways."

His thumb brushed against her cheek, his fingers delicately tracing the side of her face, and then down along her neck to rest on her shoulder.

"...Yeah, I guess so..."

She tried to ignore how warm his hand was, slightly roughened by driving his cruiser and being outdoors so often_. H__ow would they feel against other parts of her skin... _Was she supposed to be taking it slow? She was becoming increasingly in danger of not remembering why.

Taking a deep breath, she dragged herself back to the moment. "We oughta go grocery shopping," she said, trying to focus on something besides the man in front of her. "We seem t' be outta everything."

"Hmm..."

She suspected she might have said anything - he wasn't paying attention to her. His eyes watched his own fingers as they wove a rogue lock of her hair around them. Somehow in the last ten hours since their impromptu wedding, something had changed. There was a stillness in him, a calmness that she hadn't expected. His overtness was new to her, catching her completely off guard, making _her _mind race with anxiety simply for lack of knowing what it meant. She was dreadfully afraid of reading too much into it.

"These are really good," she said, gesturing to sheet of lures with a shaky hand. "You know, th' last time me an' th' boys went t' Capitol City, we went by a fishing-"

"Daisy-"

"-store, an' they were selling ones that weren't half this nice for $5.00 a piece. There's a -"

_"Daisy-"_

"-tournament down in Helen every y-"

Anything further was cut short as he grabbed a handful of her shirt and pulled her into his kiss. His lips pressed against hers insistently, leaving no room in Daisy's mind that he wasn't interested in chatting. He let her go, but didn't back away.

"You really wanna talk about fishin'?" he murmured, softly.

She laughed and shook her head, relieved, and allowed herself to focus on what she had been trying to keep on the back burner of her mind..._him - _and the feelings he stirred within her. "I think I forgot what I was sayin'."

Enos grinned down at her, his eyes sparkling with amusement. "Good, 'cause I'm gettin' a little tired of cold showers."

It was long past night-fall before either of them spoke again.


	14. Chapter 14

_A/N: Finally, the end! (And this started out as a one-shot, lol)  
><em>

_Please come and check out the Enos Strate Appreciation Foundation under the forums link. We've had some great in-depth discussions over there and the more, the merrier! There's a challenge up under the "requests" thread, as well.  
><em>

* * *

><p><strong>-Epilogue-<strong>_  
><em>

* * *

><p><em>"I sit and wait.<br>Does an angel contemplate my fate?  
>And do they know the places where we go<br>when we're gray and old?  
>'Cause I've been told<br>that salvation lets their wings unfold."  
>-Robbie Williams<em>

* * *

><p>Daisy woke gradually, cozy and suffused with warmth, the early morning sun morphing the black of sleep in to the gray of semi-conscious daydreaming. Her eyes fluttered open, long enough to make sure the world had not fallen off it's axis during the night and that she in fact was still sleeping double in a single bed... Something they might need to look into before one of them fell off of it.<p>

It hadn't occurred to either of them the night before - mainly because they hadn't done much sleeping.

She grinned and snuggled back closer towards the man spooned against her, his arm draped possessively over her waist. He stirred briefly and mumbled something incoherent.

Enos had never been a morning person, and Daisy knew half of the times he pulled his cruiser up to the curb at the Police Station he'd only been out of bed a good fifteen minutes, if that. But she wanted to share this morning with him before he inevitably had to get up and rush off to work.

She ran the fingers of her right hand lightly down his arm, and back up again, earning her nothing more than a slight twitch and a sigh. Determined to get his attention one way or another, she reached behind her, running her hand over his hip and along the outside of his thigh.

Enos laughed out loud, startling himself awake, and reflexively kicking her in the process. "Dang it, Daisy! That tickles."

She rolled over to face him. "That ain't what you said last night, sugar," she teased.

He grinned back at her, but didn't take her bait. "Mornin', Mrs. Strate," he murmured, his voice still husky with sleep. He yawned and rubbed his eyes. "I'm awful sorry th' bed's so small," he said, contritely, sounding more like his usual self.

"_I'm_ not," she countered. "Not right now anyways. An' you'd better not tell me you've gotta be at work in half an hour."

He propped his head up on his elbow and glanced at the clock on the wall which read 6:25. "I've got a little longer than that."

A dark, stormy cloud settled over her good mood. "I can't believe Rosco's makin' you work th' mornin' shift!" she seethed. "It ain't enough he's gotta make ya' sit out by Skunk Hollow, but anybody that's got th' nerve to expect someone t' come in th' mornin' after they got married ain't got th' good sense God gave a horsefly! He's got some nerve..."

She scowled at Enos who was looking far too amused at her rant for his own good.

"What's so funny?" she snapped, irritated.

"I never said I had t' work this mornin'."

"But, you said-"

"I said I had more than half an' hour," he reminded her, smugly. "I asked Cletus if he'd cover for me today."

Daisy stared at him. "I can't ever remember you takin' off 'cept when your appendix burst."

He shrugged. "Lunchtime when I's on patrol was about the only time I could always count on seein' ya." He grinned deviously at her. "'Course, I s'pose I could go on in..." With a speed she hadn't expected, Enos snaked his arms around her and rolled over, pulling her underneath him. "...unless there's somethin' you need me for."

He hovered above her, waiting for her answer. She slid her arms around his neck, drawing him closer. "I just need _you_," she whispered.

_[...]_

* * *

><p><em>Later...<em>

Daisy was just clearing their plates from a breakfast of toast and jelly (the two least moldy things she could find) when the phone rang. She stopped and watched as Enos walked over to the desk and picked it up.

"Enos Strate speakin'."

His smile fell as he listened to the voice on the other end.

"Cletus!" he groaned. "Ding-dang it, go call Rosco!"

Daisy rolled her eyes, not wanting to imagine what kind of a mess Cletus could have gotten himself into.

"Fine. I'll be there in a minute." Enos dropped the receiver back into it's cradle and scowled at it bitterly for a moment.

Daisy sat the plates back down. "What's wrong?"

Enos shrugged. "Oh, it's nothin' much. Cletus just locked his keys in Hazzard number two. I've gotta go over an' unlock it for him."

"What's wrong with Rosco?"

"Rosco said he'd charge him twenty bucks." He grabbed his keys from off the dresser and kissed her cheek. "Sorry, hun, I'll be back in a minute."

"That's okay, I'll make a shopping list while you're gone."

Fifteen minutes later, Daisy had made the bed, washed the dishes, and written up a short grocery list. Her suitcase was still under the bed so she dragged it out and sat it on the bed, wondering if she could make room in any of the dresser drawers for her clothes. She unzipped it and threw the top back, but stopped short.

On top of the clothes lay a dog-eared, paperback book. Her first thought was that Bo or Luke had put it in with her things, but that didn't seem like something they would do. She picked it up and turned it over...and then threw it down onto the bed as if it were made of hot coals. It lay there for some time, with Daisy staring at it as though it might get up and run off on it's own accord, or perhaps just fade away..._like a dream_...

Finally, with trembling hands, she picked The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn back up and opened it_._ There was a handwritten note on the inside cover. It read:

_"Dear Daisy,_  
><em>Remember no one is a failure who has friends. <em>  
><em>Thanks for the wings!"<em>

She read it through twice more, then closed the book and lifted her eyes towards Heaven.

"No," she said, solemnly. "Thank _you_."

_[The End]_

* * *

><p><em>AN: Thanks so much for everyone who read this story, and especially those of you who have kept me going with your reviews, pm's, and comments. Without you, the voices in my head are silent._


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